What Are We?
by Audriel
Summary: What happens when two of the most unlikely people are united in the holy matrimony? Especially when there is no love between them to start with. [Sasuke x Hinata]
1. Of Betrothal

Hello, here I am again, trying for a less serious theme, romance XDD well not telling you that romance is an easy task, at least it is easier for me because I'm awful in making fighting scenes. Let's say it's a break for me from another story I made, Ayame. But still… my writing skills are… you can tell me after reading this. I doubt you're going to praise me.

First, I'm fond of SasuHina pairing, if you're against it, you may not read this. And I'm influenced by the experts of SasuHina authors such as Fractured wings 01, Scented Candles, Mila J, and many others that you can find in my list of favorite stories.

Second, I don't have a beta for this story, so you may find many mistakes, added English is not my main language, I can write a fanfic is already a miracle. This is my first attempt in romance story. I hope though my mistakes won't affect your reading too much.

Third, standard disclaimer! I would _never_ own Naruto, that's one thing for sure. I only own the title, summary, and plotline ; P There's a possibility I change them though. So, let's go on with the story, shall we?

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**What Are We?**

**Of Betrothal**

She didn't accept the news very well. When she was called by his father, she didn't suspect it would turn out this way. She should have seen it coming. She had seen him visiting the Hyuuga compound, asking for her father's presence, which her father approved soon afterwards.

As she walked into the room where her father asked for her presence, she felt uneasy. Even though all the years, she had gained more confidence and strength, her father still had a great influence over her. She sat before him without making noise, the Hyuuga clan head merely nodded at her to acknowledge her presence.

_"Hinata… I suppose you know the relationship between Hyuuga and Uchiha clan"_

_"Yes, I'm fully aware of that, Otou-sama"_

_"We made an agreement to strengthen the bond between two clans by betrothing our heirs." Her eyes widened slightly in surprise but she gave no hint of her feelings. Somehow she was able to hide it._

"_You were betrothed with Itachi as the Uchiha heir, but now due to the circumstances… with Itachi as missing nin and Sasuke as the last Uchiha, leaving him as the rightful heir of the clan and also leaving him with the responsibility. I suppose you notice his visit to our place?" it wasn't a question, it was more a statement. Hinata indeed noticed Sasuke's visit to the Hyuuga compound, it wasn't a daily occurrence the last Uchiha visited the Hyuuga. She couldn't help to notice it, she doubted if he came for his cousin, Neji who was already an ANBU captain. Hinata knew where the conversation was heading at, her keen observation had always been her strong point since she was young. In exchange of his question, Hinata merely nodded, not showing the turmoil she had._

"_He is well aware of his responsibility. Hinata… now you're no longer a child, I believe both of us are fully aware of that. You're ready for marriage."_

She left the room without any protests even though there were so many things she wanted to say against her father that she wanted to fall and cry in front of him to change his mind. But she knew better, once father had made a promise, he would fulfill it even though it would cost his life. It was one of the reasons why he was respected, not only because he was the head of the Hyuuga clan but also of his integrity. Nothing would change his decision, and his decision was an order she couldn't refuse.

She found herself sitting on a bench near the pond, her eyes were looking skywards to the heavens above. It was her haven, it was her favorite place with her mother when she was still alive. She came here every time she had problems, taking out her suppressed feelings and found comfort as if her mother lingered here. The clouds gave way to the full moon, its pale light fell over her tearstained face. Hinata looked at the moon blankly, she had no more tears to cry. There was only silent surrender to her fate, she was the Hyuuga heiress, and she must do what the clan told her.

"…Kaa-san…" her mind drifted to the past, how her mother would comfort her here. She truly wished she had been here, she wanted to hear her soothing voice, telling her everything would be alright. But she weren't, and now there she was, on her own without her mother's guidance. Her trained senses picked someone else's presence, for a moment she thought it was Neji who was looking for her until she glance toward the person to find her father, Hiashi. She didn't expect from all people, her father would look for her.

"May I?" Hiashi asked if he might sit beside her on the bench. Hinata merely nodded in approval, quickly avoiding his gaze. He sat down and felt like the first time, he examined his daughter thoroughly. Hinata had grown her hair reaching her back and now it was cascading over her shoulder. Her midnight hair shimmered under the moonlight, accentuating her beauty more.

_She inherits your beauty, Hoshino… _

Hiashi's gaze softened as he remembered his late wife, he could see so many similarities between his oldest daughter and his wife. Hinata didn't only inherit her beauty but also her kindness and warmth, something that most Hyuuga lacked of and under appreciated as they considered it a weakness. But he knew better, some weakness could be strength, there was no exception. Hiashi realized everything was too much for her daughter, being forced into a marriage for the sake of the clan. He wished he hadn't had the agreement but some things needed to be done, and there was no place for personal feelings. His daughter had grown a great deal after all those years, slowly but surely gaining acknowledgement for the clan as the rightful Hyuuga heiress. He had been watching her progress silently, how she started to gain confidence, how she learned not to stutter much until she didn't stutter anymore, how she held her head high instead of looking towards her feet and fidgeted, how she learned from every mistakes she did in her daily training, how she managed to climb through the ranks until she gained the title jounin now, and how hard she worked to reach the title, harder than Neji as he saw how bruised and battered she was after training. He never said anything about it or even gave a slight notice that he knew. However, he noticed and as a father he was proud for his daughter's achievement and he saw that she was satisfied with it too. He hated that he needed to destroy his daughter's happiness by forcing him into a marriage she didn't want. When he delivered the news, he wasn't oblivious to her reaction. He saw how she accepted the responsibility obediently without protests even how much she wanted to, knowing she had nothing against it. He let her alone to cope with the situation, but when she hadn't returned he couldn't help but to feel worried so he went to search for her by himself instead of Neji. He was surprised to find her in Hoshino's favorite place, a seat by the pond. He saw her cheeks were wet because of tears.

"Hinata, look at me," he spoke gently though there was still authority in his voice. Hesitantly, Hinata raised her head and looked at her father only to find him looking at her affectionately. It totally caught her off guard, her father wasn't someone who openly showed his feelings, like most Hyuuga and what he said next surprised her even more.

"…I'm sorry to force you into this." Hinata simply looked at him wide-eyed.

"I suppose you don't expect this to come from me," Hiashi noticed his daughter's expression,

"…I've never been a good father for you and Hanabi as your mother expected. I am the clan leader and it is my duty to bring the best for the clan. The agreement is included one of them, there weren't many times I regretted my decisions…And this is one of those times. As a clan leader, I know this is the best decision. As a father, I don't even know if it is… Every father loves their daughter, in their own way and every father wishes their daughter's happiness," he paused for a moment,

"I'm proud of you, Hinata. I'm proud as a father could be, you've exceeded all of my expectations and you've proven yourself worthy as the Hyuuga heiress. I couldn't ask for a better daughter. I'm sorry for everything you've gone through…I'm sorry I am not able to be a good father for you." Hinata saw that every word that he said was true and the fact he cared and acknowledged her touched her deeply. She tried to hold tears from falling then she felt a warm hand on her cheek. Hiashi slightly smiled to her daughter,

"As a father… I wish for your happiness best, daughter, you deserve it better than anyone else…" When he spoke those words, she couldn't hold her tears anymore, slowly tears were falling without restraint. Hiashi didn't bother to move his hands, instead he caressed her daughter comfortingly, as a father would. Hiashi looked at his weeping daughter sadly,

_This is the only thing I could do for our daughter, Hoshino…_

Hinata didn't know if it was the worst day of her life or not, but she couldn't help but to feel relieved… to know that she was loved all along.

I

I

I

It was a nice weather in Konoha, the cloud was sheltering the village from the sun, and the sky was crystal clear. Most people could be found enjoying the weather by having some picnic with their family, gathering with their friends or having a warm conversation on the street. Among all the people who was crowding the street, a sole presence could be seen walking casually, didn't seem to be bothered that he was just alone. It appeared he was a young man with cold onyx eyes and his bangs falling in front of his eyes. He was wearing a black turtleneck with sleeves that reached his elbow and pants with matching colors, bandages could be seen strapping his lower arms. An image of a red white paper fan on his back confirmed the man as the last Uchiha, Uchiha Sasuke. He was full aware of people's attention towards him, some was looking at him not differently like he was young, looking at him with admiration and some others was looking at him with wariness, and hatred. He wasn't oblivious to their gaze and he knew well their reasoning. After all, he was the one who chose to leave the village to achieve his goal to Orochimaru. He was a traitor, he was supposed to be a missing nin, until he decided to return to the only place he called home. Only few people who truly accepted him with open hands and treated him indifferently when he returned, it was his abandoned team. Their first reaction was a little violent, a well-round punch in the gut from Naruto and a slap on his face from Sakura, luckily only a pat from Kakashi or he would have been dead, but their reaction was understandable. The truth was, he expected him to be killed in the spot to what he had done, he knew how much he had hurt them but instead they accepted him gratefully. Their only response was,

"_Thank god you still have the brain to realize your mistake"_

"_Glad to see you back, Sasuke"_

"_Welcome back"_

He couldn't have more, he was ready to face the consequences of everything he had done. His friend was already more than enough for him. Many had disapproved for his return and the Hokage's forgiveness –partly because of Naruto, Sasuke knew- but gradually things changed. In short amount of time he was able to climb through the ranks and now he was an ANBU captain together with Naruto and some of the genin fellows as his subordinates. They were the next people after his team who accepted him after his uprising to the village. Even though some of them couldn't really trust him as much as before like Neji, Shikamaru, and Shino. Sasuke had grown colder through the years, his face was still as stoic as ever, barely showing any emotions and many found his calm unnerving and intimidating. His calm façade disappeared only when he was around his team, especially Naruto that had become his best friend. Funny how they both started on the wrong foot and the two people who had totally opposite character could get along, let alone understand each other. They often shared their thoughts and problem to each other, considering what they had been through only could be understood by both of them. Naruto could easily read what lie underneath his façade and so could Sasuke.

So there he was walking in the street, looking for a certain loud blond and with ease he found him on his favorite place, Ichiraku. He stood in front of the place looking at a familiar back of his former teammate who was eating his what-could-be-his- 20th-ramen bowl. Sasuke didn't bother to call him, he merely stood at his place. Through his eating, Naruto sensed his former teammate's familiar chakra signature behind him so he raised his left hand without looking,

"Yo! Wanna eat Sasuke?"

"No. I need to talk," Sasuke spoke monotonously. As soon as he heard the tone of his voice, he turned himself to eye his friend carefully, his eyebrow twitched in question. He understood Sasuke better than anyone else, even though his friend spoke so casually he knew there was something important that he needed to talk with him. So he quickly gulped his last bite of ramen and paid his bills, leaving the chef surprised because it was the first time Naruto didn't finish his bowl of ramen.

"Where d'you want to talk?" In a moment, Naruto was already at Sasuke's side and they were walking on the same pace.

"My place," he answered short. They went to Uchiha compound where Sasuke lived on his own. Naruto had been there few times and he always wondered how Sasuke could stand staying in this place, after everything that had happened to the clan. Once he had asked it, Sasuke merely shrugged it off but Naruto didn't miss the look of sadness that crossed his friend's face in a brief moment. Afterwards, Naruto never brought up or even touched the subject and kept the question to himself. As they arrived in front of his house, Sasuke slid the door open and let him in to the house. Naruto threw himself on the couch while Sasuke sat in the opposite side of him.

"So… what's up?" Naruto asked him casually but seriousness could be seen in his face. Sasuke noticed it and inwardly smiled to himself. Naruto was truly his best friend, he wondered if there was anything missed his keen observation. He knew there was no point in lying, so he went directly instead,

"I'm going to restore the clan"

Naruto's eyes were widened in surprise,

"Don't you think it's too soon?"

"I'm 21 years old, Naruto. I'm old enough." Naruto knew Sasuke was serious, there were only certain conditions where Sasuke called him by name directly.

"I've achieved my goal and that leaves me to restore the clan"

"…Who?" Naruto asked, instead of asking his reasoning further.

"…the Hyuuga heiress"

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto couldn't believe his ears, he didn't drop the suffix after all those years. She had become one of his precious people since the chuunin exam.

"The Uchiha have an agreement with the Hyuuga that the heirs would be betrothed to each other in order to strengthen the bond between two clans. The agreement still stands, and I'm the Uchiha heir. Hyuuga is the best candidate to restore the clan"

Naruto's eyes narrowed when he heard his last statement,

"So you marry her just because of her bloodline?" he didn't like the idea at all.

"Don't take it wrong. It's been arranged since we were born," Sasuke wasn't oblivious to the tone of his voice, he sensed protectiveness.

"…I know," surprisingly Naruto didn't yell at him, his cheek rested on his hand, his face was thoughtful,

"But you can refuse it, Sasuke. You have the choice. I understand how much you want to restore the clan, and I know you want the best for the clan. But have you ever considered you own happiness? And Hinata's? You will be married out of love!" he pointed out loud.

"Both of you are my best friends, and I don't want to see both of you sad. Both of you deserve to be happy, by marrying someone _you_ love. You can choose anyone you want Sasuke! There are a plenty of girls out there love you and I believe there is someone who deserves your love!"

Sasuke was taken aback by Naruto's words, surprised to see the truth and wisdom in his words. Naruto looked straight at him, demanding for an explanation. His friend had truly grown a lot, not only in stature but also in mind. He was still loud and brash, he was still the cheerful and optimistic guy who liked to wear orange and eat ramen, but he was no longer the dense, insensitive idiot. Being the demon's vessel had shaped him into what he was now and everything they had gone through had forged the bond between them stronger. He saw concern in his eyes, as a teammate, a comrade, a friend… and a brother. Sasuke unconsciously lowered his gaze, Naruto was right. He would be married out of love, he didn't deny the fact he also wanted a marriage with love… but his goal came first.

"I know Naruto, I know… But I want the best for my clan… I don't care of my happiness." Naruto looked at him seriously,

"How about Hinata's?"

"…She will understand"

Naruto didn't accept it, but he knew once Sasuke had made up his mind towards his goal, nothing could change it. He knew it too well, he sadly remembered the past.

"I don't have a say in this. At least Hinata needs to know about this from you directly. She deserves to know," he emphasized the importance of it.

"I will"

"Just promise me you'll make her happy, don't ever try to hurt her"

"You have my word," Sasuke raised his head to look directly at Naruto. Naruto could see his words were true and he would keep the promise. He placed his hands on his shoulders and squeezed it firmly.

"Be happy, Sasuke." a slight smile appeared on Sasuke's face, it was a sincere smile. He only nodded, warmth filled his heart to see how much Naruto cared. Though the moment was broken with an unfamiliar presence outside the door. Sasuke rose to his feet to find out who was the person who dared to step his/her feet on the Uchiha compound. He found a pair of white eyes looked at him impassively. He was a Hyuuga, before Sasuke demanded for explanation, he spoke,

"Uchiha, Hiashi-sama requests for your presence"

Sasuke glanced to Naruto who was standing behind him, both of them were fully aware what would happen.

I

I

I

For the second time, Sasuke found himself sitting before the Hyuuga clan leader, Hyuuga Hiashi. He sat formally like he had been taught since he was young, his back straight, his head held high, demanding respect and authority. He must admit the leader's presence only had given him a strong pressure, making him didn't question why he had been chosen as the leader. Hiashi was closing his eyes, giving no sign that he noticed Sasuke's presence in the room. Sasuke knew it was an invitation for him to start the conversation.

"Uchiha Sasuke, by your request," he started.

"You're totally aware why you are here," it was a statement.

"I'm fully aware," Sasuke kept his gaze on Hiashi, slowly the leader opened his eyes and gave him a slight nod.

"I've spoken to my daughter, and she accepted the responsibility. Your wedding will take place a week after today. She will live with you in the Uchiha compound and I expect you to remember the agreement"

"I'm aware she is the Hyuuga heiress. The first child who wields the Sharingan will be the heir of the Uchiha, while the first child who wields the Byakugan will be the heir of the Hyuuga," Sasuke repeated one of the important parts of the agreement.

"Good," Hiashi nodded in approval, "You are forbidden to meet Hinata until the wedding." Sasuke was a little surprised with it, but showed nothing in his face.

"She is not only the Hyuuga heiress, remember that, Uchiha," Hiashi gave him a stern look, "You may leave now"

Sasuke gladly took his leave, he gave a slight nod of respect to the man who was going to be a part of his family –not like he wanted it. On his way to leave the Hyuuga compound, his sight caught a familiar figure in the garden. The person was wearing a simple yet elegant lavender kimono, her long navy blue hair was held in a bun. She was tending the flowers, she had dirt on her hands. Sasuke recognized her chakra signature and he saw her posture went rigid for a moment. She cleaned her hand from the dirt and raised her head to look at the Uchiha. Black met white. Their gaze locked, none willing to move, both trying to decipher each other's thought. Hinata was the first to break their gaze, she slightly bowed to acknowledge his presence then silently she retreated to the house, leaving Sasuke to continue his way to the gate and contemplate what had happened.

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Author's note: To be continued… or not? If you think the story worth your review, please review, cause I don't know whether to continue it or not. And does anybody want to become my beta reader for my story? Thank you very much for reading! 


	2. Of Thoughts

Wow, -looking at the reviews with teary eyes- 16 reviews! It was half of my first fanfic's reviews that had 8 chapters! Poor Ayame… and more surprising that was more than a hundred hits! O-O so many SasuHina fans out there! So I can't just discontinue the story, ne? Explanations and Responses from reviewers are below so it wouldn't disturb your reading. I hope I don't disappoint you. And, is there anyone who want to beta me?

Hey, I _don't _own Naruto! Cause if I did, Naruto would be verrryyy boring. XDD I only own _my_ story. Enjoy!

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**What Are We?**

**Of Thoughts**

Hinata had just finished her morning training, she was sitting on the wooden floor. She wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. She moved her gaze to the heavens, everything she tried to forget through the training returned unbidden. The wedding would be held few more days, and she couldn't help but to feel dread welling inside her. Her father had forbidden Sasuke to meet him before the wedding, she was truly grateful of it, she didn't know what she would do if they met. She wasn't ready for it, or the truth was, she wasn't ready for _everything_. The wedding. The people's reaction. And the life after. She cupped her hand on her face. The wedding would be a private one, only important people would be invited to the wedding, beside the whole Hyuuga members –both Main and Branch house- that included the Hokage, the elders and landlords of the Fire Country. She was allowed to invite her closest people though, Sasuke was also given the same right. The closest people she had, was her old genin team, Kiba, Shino and Kurenai-sensei –not to forget Akamaru, she smiled to remember all the memories she had with her team. The problem was, _how_ she would deliver the news to them. Their wedding was kept secret from the public until they were officially husband and wife. She got a feeling that her team wouldn't accept the news pretty well, especially a certain loud Inuzuka and his dog.

I

I

I

"WHAT!" the voice was so loud until the birds flew from the trees, the chipmunks ran to their holes and the whole village closed their ears to shut the voice. Hinata had already prepared enough with her former teammate's reaction, though she unconsciously stepped backward from the loud outburst. She found her team in their old training ground. Her teammates had grown a lot, Kiba had grown taller, but not tall enough to beat Shino. Kiba had thrown away his old jacket and changed to much more practical attire and suited his combat style. Shino still kept his sunglasses and still wore high collared clothes so his expression remained hidden though his clothes were no longer the same with the ones in their genin days. While Kurenai didn't seem to change much, except her clothes. She still looked as beautiful as Hinata could remember, her eyes had the same kindness and warmth like her mother's.

"K-Kiba-kun," she tried to calm him down. She hadn't drop the suffix to her team, they were among the few whom she felt comfortable with.

"Kiba, calm down. You're startling Hinata," Kurenai put a firm hand on her former student. Kiba was trying to regain his composure, even though the others could see he was still fuming. Kurenai looked at Hinata, the student who was like a daughter to her, and asked calmly,

"Is it true?" Hinata was glad her team –_most_ of them- could accept the news pretty well, Kurenai was trying to understand her first while Shino, well being Shino, kept silent all the time.

"Yes, I'm going to be married to Sasuke-san," she regarded him as –san because they weren't close to one another and being taught to be polite since she was young, she always addressed people with –san other than people she was close to. Kurenai and Shino noticed it, and they knew it wasn't a marriage by Hinata's own will.

"It is a private occasion, only the clan member and important people are invited, but we are allowed to invite several people to attend the ceremony. Here's the invitation," she pulled out three invitations and handed it to them each.

Kiba accepted the invitation with a frown, he was about to protest when Shino grabbed him from behind and dragged him out from the training ground against Kiba's will.

"Hey, Shino! Let me go!" his hands were waving frantically, trying to release himself from Shino's death grip.

"Then what would you do? What Hinata needs now isn't your scolding or protests, she needs more than that," Shino spoke calmly, "Only Kurenai-sensei can provide that"

That totally shut up Kiba, he stopped trying to release himself and he seemed to understand. When Shino noticed that, he released his grip on him, letting him to stand on his feet. Kiba glanced to the training ground and growled under his breath,

"I'll make sure that Uchiha will have a piece of my mind"

"I'm sure that's what all of us want to do," Shino placed an assuring hand on Kiba's shoulder. Both of them considered Hinata as their sister who they needed to protect and they knew Hinata thought the same.

After the young men left, Hinata was left alone with Kurenai in the training ground. Kurenai took a seat under a tree and she motioned Hinata to do the same. Hinata sat soundlessly beside her former sensei.

"Tell me the truth Hinata…" Kurenai started and Hinata knew she couldn't avoid it,

"This marriage is not by your own will, is it?"

Hinata didn't dare to look directly at Kurenai, she merely nodded her head to prove that she was right.

"…I see, so you just accepted?" her crimson eyes were fixed on Hinata.

"I have already betrothed to the Uchiha heir since I was born"

"…Why don't you stand up against it? You're no longer the old Hinata who just stood there meekly, accepting everything that happened to you," Kurenai tried to be as gentle as possible, knowing it was a sensitive subject for Hinata. She knew her well, being her sensei through the years, she saw how Hinata grew up from the shy, timid and always stuttering Hinata to the stronger and confident Hinata. She saw how hard she worked for what she achieved now and how she was acknowledged as the Hyuuga heiress with pride instead of disgrace. She never agreed with Hiashi's strictness to her daughter, even though his intentions were good.

"…I'm the Hyuuga heiress. If it brings good to the clan, then there's no reason for me to go against the decision." Kurenai was rendered speechless with her answer, she looked at Hinata incredulously.

"Hinata!" she couldn't believe what she heard, then a thought occurred to her, "Are you afraid of the clan?"

Hinata didn't answer, she only looked at her hands that were folded neatly on her lap.

Kurenai let out an exasperated sigh, after all the years… Hinata couldn't really leave the clan's shadow. Even though she was the heiress who was going to be the next clan head of the Hyuuga, she was still under the clan council's orders. Basically, the Hyuuga tradition implicitly stated the rule, making the heiress powerless against their orders, even if the current clan head stated differently. Hinata who had lived her life fulfilling the clan's expectation had felt their influence directly. Even though she had grown a backbone, their influence had left a deep and lasting mark on the young heiress, making her unconsciously afraid to disappoint them.

_Cursed the Hyuuga and their stupid tradition!_ Kurenai silently swore under her breath. She looked at the young woman sat beside her affectionately, Hinata was just a victim, as much as Neji. So instead of pressuring the woman more, she simply put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Hinata at last encouraged herself to look to her sensei and found she understood what she was going through. There was no need for words, her understanding and support was enough for Hinata.

I

I

I

Meanwhile, Sasuke was going through the same thing with Hinata. He also decided to invite his team to the ceremony, but he was much more fortunate than Hinata, most reaction he had was incredulous, surprise and anger look from Sakura, while the males simply accepted the news as if it wasn't a big deal. First, because Naruto had already known before. Second, because Kakashi, well, you knew how Kakashi was, different with Kurenai who was more involved emotionally with her student, he decided that Sasuke's decision was his own and he would only get along with it. Not like he didn't care but he was fully aware that his students were already capable enough to choose their own path in life without his interference. He trusted Sasuke's judgment and he didn't miss the fact that Naruto didn't seem to mind either, so he would let it be until his interference was needed. But it didn't seem that Sakura agreed with them, she kept giving Sasuke an accusing look.

"Why so sudden? I've never seen you with Hinata before?" she couldn't help but to feel a little jealous, it seemed she still had a crush toward her former teammate. Sasuke silently let out a sigh, he was truly not in the mood to explain everything to Sakura. Even though they were friends, they were some times, when Sakura could be so annoying, more annoying than Naruto –what a surprise-. Probably because women were harder to understand with their mood swings, he hoped Hinata wasn't like that. It was one thing he agreed with Shikamaru. _Women are so troublesome._

Naruto didn't fail to notice the slight change in Sasuke's expression,

"Sakura-chan, don't be too harsh to Sasuke ne?" he spoke naturally, "He has his own reasons." When Sakura's attention was for a moment averted to Naruto, Naruto gave him a sign to use the moment to leave, and he used it.

"Sasuke!" Sakura was angered that Sasuke didn't try to explain it to them –to her.

"Maa, I suppose you're a bit too forceful," Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly, Sakura shot him a glare.

"C'mon, I'll explain everything," Naruto neutralized the atmosphere, with his words he had both of his former sensei and teammate's attention.

Sasuke was relieved that he avoided a thorough explanation with his female teammate, he truly didn't want to waste his time being scolded or anything by her. He needed some time alone, to think and to contemplate on everything. He found a tall old tree and sat on one of its high branch, he had a full view of the village. He rested his back on the tree and closed his eyes, his thoughts drifted to the forthcoming event. Honestly, he didn't know why he agreed to take the responsibility that used to be on his brother –he spat out his name in venom- he could have broken the agreement like Naruto had pointed to him, yet he didn't do it. Why? He didn't know, it wasn't like he had an interest towards Hinata. Heck, he barely knew her or even remembered her from their genin days. He only started to notice her when he found out about the agreement along within important documents he found in his house after the war. She wasn't attractive or pretty, she was rather quiet when most girls would chatter endlessly about anything and nothing. She was just another face in the crowd for him, but somehow she was always able to stand out in her own way. There was something different with her, and he noticed that she was in par with Sakura as both medic nin and kunoichi, making her a perfect candidate besides of her bloodline limit.

Then he recalled what happened when he was called to the Hyuuga compound, and their brief moment when their gazes locked. Her milky eyes held a penetrating gaze that most Hyuuga had, she had the chance, yet she didn't do it. She merely looked at him, as if she was looking for something, and Sasuke didn't know what she tried to look for. He was also trying to use the moment to decipher her reaction towards the marriage, yet he found nothing, but he caught a slight emotion that seemed like sadness in her eyes.

He didn't know if he did the right thing, asking for her hand in marriage so suddenly. He felt a pang of guilt for what he had done, he had not only sacrificed his happiness but also Hinata's. He was being selfish, he knew. But when he thought of his deceased family and clan… his goal… his face hardened, after everything that happened, he couldn't afford to fail to restore the clan. He just hoped that Hinata would understand.

His conversation he had with Naruto kept repeating in his mind,

"_But you can refuse it, Sasuke. You have the choice. I understand how much you want to restore the clan, and I know you want the best for the clan. But have you ever considered you own happiness? And Hinata's? You will be married out of love!" _

"_Both of you are my best friends, and I don't want to see both of you sad. Both of you deserve to be happy, by marrying someone _you_ love. You can choose anyone you want Sasuke! There are a plenty of girls out there love you and I believe there is someone who deserves your love!" _

"_I don't have a say in this. At least Hinata needs to know about this from you directly. She deserves to know"_

"_Be happy, Sasuke"_

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to shake off Naruto's words from before. Everything had been done, there was no turning back.

I

I

I

It was late at night when Kakashi returned to his –no, he corrected- _their_ apartment.

"Tadaima," he spoke loud enough to be heard by the person whom he had been living with for the past 4 years.

"Okaeri," a feminine voice replied from the kitchen and Kakashi could smell a delicious aroma of dinner. He removed his sandals and took his time to the dining room.

"You're late, Kakashi," suddenly Kurenai appeared from the kitchen that was just across the dining table. She was wearing a lovely pink apron and on her hands was their dinner, he just gave her a shrug. He put down his gears on a coffee table nearby and removed his mask, he approached her and gave her a kiss on her cheek.

"As usual, Gai challenged me," he smiled to her as she put down the dinner on the table.

"This time who won?" Kurenai smiled to him, her hand moved to untie her apron.

"Aw, my own wife doubts my abilities?" he gave a pained look.

"Oh, come on, admit that Gai rivals your ability," she playfully pinched her lawfully wedded husband.

"Alright, just don't compare me with his antics," he grinned and took a glass of water she had prepared for him.

"Oh, what antics?" Kurenai twitched her eyebrow, "His strange poses with a certain book you read?" Kakashi choked on his glass, and realized a dangerous aura his wife emitting.

"Well, uh- What's for dinner?" he hastily changed the topics, and Kurenai didn't miss it, but she let it slip for now.

"Your favorite"

"Ow, yummy!" Kakashi's face brightened and like a kid he sat impatiently on his chair to get the food, Kurenai merely shook her head to see his husband's antics. She followed his lead and gave him a bowl of rice. Kurenai took her time to examine her husband, his husband was a handsome one and she was one lucky lady. She understood why he used the mask, or at least she thought she did, that so he wouldn't have girls drooling over his looks like both his male students –oh yes, both Sasuke and Naruto- and she was the only person who could see what was under the mask, more importantly,it lessened herneed to be jealous for any other women's attention to her husband. They ate in silence, a comfortable silence they always had.

"That was delicious," Kakashi praised his wife, Kurenai simply smiled in satisfaction. She collected the dishes, Kakashi helped her to put it into the sink. Kurenai opened the tap and started washing the dirty dishes, Kakashi stood beside her. She realized there was something Kakashi wanted to talk with her.

"…Have you known about Sasuke and Hinata?" he started, his eyes were everywhere but her wife.

"Yes, he has told you, I presume?"

"Yep, though it seems Naruto has known before me"

"What do you think?" her eyes was still on her cleaning duty, yet her attention was fully concentrated on her husband.

"…I must admit it's so sudden," Kakashi shoved his hands on his pockets, "Is it an arranged marriage?" Kurenai smiled inwardly, Kakashi with his laid back attitude made him seem had no attention to others or even insensitive. But Kurenai knew better how attentive and caring Kakashi could be, especially when it came to his students, like her.

"Yes, they were betrothed to one another since they were born"

"Ah"

"How did Sasuke take it?"

"Didn't seem to be bothered, that kid… once he has set up a goal, he doesn't care about himself of others. One thing that doesn't change. How about Hinata?"

"…She accepted it out of duty…"

"Too bad Hinata isn't like most girls… she would at least be happy that the village's heartthrob is going to marry her"

"But Hinata isn't," Kurenai turned the tap off, she sighed sadly. Kakashi noticed the sad look in his wife's face, he gently lifted her hands and put it on his then he slowly caressed her hands.

"Don't worry, Sasuke will treat her well, I can assure you. He may be like a bastard sometimes, but he is a good boy. They are old enough to take care of themselves. Besides, we'll keep an eye on them," he laughed good-naturedly, "I sound like Naruto here"

Kurenai smiled slightly, she was a little relieved to hear her husband's reassurance.

"I hope everything will be alright"

"Me too," Kakashi enveloped her in a warm embrace, both of them were worried for their student who had taken a special place in their hearts. They would hope the best for them, for it was the only thing they could do.

I

I

I

The ceremony was short, it was only the preparation that took long time. Within minutes, they were officially husband and wife. Now they were standing at the front side of the garden where the banquet was held to accept the invited guests' good wishes for the newlyweds.

Sasuke was wearing a formal black kimono that the Hyuuga had prepared for him for the ceremony, while Hinata was adorned with simple and elegant white kimono. None of them gave a glance toward each other along the ceremony, both were avoiding contact. They accepted the guests' wishes politely, giving no reply when it wasn't needed. It was apparent that both of them were raised well as two of the strongest clan's heir and were ready for their duty.

Sasuke didn't know most of the guests though he recognized that they held important position. Among few he knew was Hinata's family that included the clan head himself, Hiashi; her sister, Hanabi; and her cousin, Neji, then his and Hinata's old genin team. It was a bit surprising for Sasuke that Hinata invited her team, like he did, which meant she also considered her team the closest people she had. Sasuke knew he wouldn't have friendly gazes from her teammates.

Kakashi and Kurenai agreed that their team would better come together to the wedding and stick together along the occasion since they were outsiders. They wore formal clothes, decent and simple enough not to attract much attention. They were seated at the left side of the garden, they decided to wait until all the important guests finished giving their wishes. When there was no more people lined up to give them their wishes, Sasuke decided to approach his team and Hinata did the same.

"Hey, lucky bastard!" Naruto greeted his friend not too loud to attract attention, he had learnt to control his voice. He patted his back and gave him his typical foxy grin.

"Congratulations," Kakashi smiled, team 7 had known him well enough to know his expression behind the mask.

"Thank you," he answered monotonously, he noticed that Sakura also managed to congrulate him but not as loud as Kakashi and Naruto. It seemed Sakura was a little angry about his marriage, though she didn't look to be angry at Hinata.

"Hinata… you look beautiful," Kurenai smiled affectionately to her. For the first time that day, Hinata smiled sincerely.

"Thank you, so you came together with Kakashi-san?" she glanced at team 7's former teacher also known as Kurenai's husband.

"Yes, it's pretty much a coincidence," he spoke with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"You indeed look lovely, Hinata-chan," Naruto added good-naturedly.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun," Hinata blushed to hear that from him, Naruto had a way to make people comfortable, especially he was one of her close friends.

"Hey, I'm the one who should say it first!" Kiba seemed annoyed that Naruto beat him for telling her first.

"Kiba, your voice too loud," Shino spoke calmly from beside him.

"Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, glad you make it," Hinata acknowledged her teammates.

"Of course, we can't miss your wedding day, can we?" Kiba grinned to her, suddenly Akamaru appeared from under the table.

"Akamaru!" Hinata kneeled and patted the full-grown dog on his head.

"He congratulates you," Kiba translated for Hinata.

But they weren't allowed to enjoy each other's company for long, a Hyuuga appeared next to them and told them that the clan head requested their presence for some talk with the Hokage and some high ranking officials. Before Sasuke left the table, he felt someone grabbed his wrist. It was Kiba, his face was serious, he whispered close enough for him to hear,

"Don't _ever_ try to hurt Hinata. If you do, you know whom you'll be dealing with"

Then he released his wrist roughly, but Sasuke didn't give any reaction to it. He noticed three pairs of eyes –four, if you add Akamaru- were looking at him menacingly, and he sensed a slight killing intent from them. He didn't speak a word like the old Sasuke would do, he merely nodded and left their table.

Kiba sat back on his seat, he growled under his breath,

"I can't really trust him, the Sasuke I knew would have said snide remarks about me won't succeed to touch him or some things like that"

The others in the table could hear him pretty clearly though, they had accepted Sasuke back, yet he had changed much that they couldn't understand him completely, except Naruto who was looking at the pair silently.

I

I

I

Hinata took every detail of her house for the rest of her life carefully. It was Japanese styled house with sliding paper doors, not much different with her house, only it was smaller. It had a pretty wide garden with small koi pond and it seemed untreated, it was no wonder to think that there was only one person lived here.

She headed to her supposedly room that Sasuke had shown to her as soon as she stepped her feet on the Uchiha compound. She silently wondered why Sasuke chose to stay at his old house instead of staying somewhere else. Uchiha compound was vast, even though not as vast as the Hyuuga, but it was empty since the inhabitants were killed in the night the Uchiha Massacre happened. She felt a chill when she thought what happened to them, and noticed Sasuke didn't seem to be influenced with the silence and living in this place on his own with the past haunting him. If she were him, she would stay somewhere else. She didn't like living alone in such a big place. She slid the door open and found the bedroom was pretty big, there was a, a medium sized cupboard, and a futon for two sprawled upon the tatami mat. She narrowed her eyes at the thought, yet she knew it was inevitable, she was his _wife_ after all. She looked at the hallway but found no trace of her newly wedded husband, he disappeared after he showed her his house. She silently let a relieved sigh, she decided to take a bath to relax herself. She opened the cupboard and found her things were already organized for her as her father's orders. She took a simple kimono for sleep, and went for the bathroom.

Sasuke were out in the training ground after he showed Hinata his house, _their_ house from now on. He didn't know how he ended up on his family training ground. It seemed he was avoiding her, but he knew that he _was_ avoiding her. He had taken his first step in accomplishing his goal, yet he hesitated to take the next step. So there he was, beating an innocent training log until it was broken and battered beyond repair.

Hinata had finished her bath, she looked refreshed. She realized Sasuke weren't anywhere to be found, so she decided to use the moment to relax. She was brushing her hair, sitting in front of the mirror. As she braided her long hair, she noticed her hands were trembling with nervousness. She was nervous, no… she was afraid what would happen. She hugged herself, trying to suppress the feeling. She inhaled a deep breath, she glanced nervously to the futon behind her. Fighting her fears, she laid herself on one side of the futon. She turned herself to lie on her side and closed her eyes, silently hoping that Sasuke would think she was sleeping and wouldn't touch her… would he?

* * *

Author's Note: Hehe, what would happen next chapter? Phew, that's was longer than I anticipated. It's a little insight to their thoughts of their upcoming marriage. Their team's reactions. Sorry I jumped many scenes to another, I hope you get it. Some explanations, in this fic, Itachi was already killed by Sasuke and the war that involved Orochimaru and Akatsuki wouldn't be told much, but things that involved our dear Sasuke and Hinata would be told. How the war indirectly affected them, and shaped them what they were now. There would be a lot of character development I suppose, it's one thing I'm pretty good at. Kakashi and Kurenai were married! I love KakaKure, especially since Scented Candles portrayed them very well in her fic. They would play important part in the story as much as Naruto and some others, in which I won't reveal you who they are yet. I hope their reaction towards the marriage were understandable, after all, I suppose that's what most parents react if their children is getting married. See ya later! Don't forget to review!

Responses:

Xoni Newcomer – Here's some explanation why no one tried to stand up against the nonsense, I hope you can accept it better, it's truly hard for Hinata to refuse it especially she was _just_ a heiress, if she was the clan head herself probably would be different.

Athar Luna – Glad you like Sasuke and Naruto scene, I like it too. I always think they have a deep friendship, I truly hope Sasuke will realize his mistake and return to his friends in the manga.

Hokai Amplifier – Oh my, you reviewed! You're one of the best SasuHina author! Thank you if you think my story interesting, I'm truly a beginner in romance stories… Sorry the wedding didn't have any moments, I'm planning there won't be many moments in few first chapters. After all, they were still strangers to one another. I'm looking forward for the next chapters of The Best Things in Life and Alone No More!

Fractured wings 01 – my first reaction: O-O I'm a fan of you! I'm flattered you thought my story was wonderful, thank you very much! How will Essence of Desire end? Covet Contract? There will be times when Sasuke would be cold to Hinata, there's a reason why. Can I ask for your advice when I need one?

And for others that motivated me to continue the story, kenshinlover2002, deception-M, mUcHaChAnGiStAriRaY (how do you read/write your name?), newblue, observaant– not mean, Ghizzle, xxMizukixx, Nekema, amwong, saturnova, naruto'sbabygirl, and Kumiko Yamashita (you're the first reviewer!), thank you very much! Keep reviewing and reading!


	3. Of Conversations

Another chapter! Thank you for your reviews! Thank you for my dear friend, SHaPbY who helped me with the chapter, and enjoyed the chapter very much, especially about a certain line (you know what I mean XDD). As usual, responses are below. And if you have some time, could you read my other fic, Ayame? There's no romance, but there's drama, and fighting scenes (not much though), if you think it's interesting, please leave a review (and more if you can). Thank you very much! And…let's go on with the story!

Another standard disclaimer… -holds out a hand- I never ever _own_ Naruto, except the manga I bought and this story, it's all _mine_!

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**  
**

**What Are We?**

**Of Conversations**

Hinata woke up to the voice of the birds outside the window. She slowly pried her eyes open and saw the sunlight had brightened the room. She needed a moment until previous event returned to her memory, her eyes widened when she remembered. She was married to Sasuke. She was living under the same roof with him and was supposed to share bed with him. In alarm, she checked her body and found her kimono was still intact, she was still in the same position she had laid herself to sleep. She sighed in relief, it seemed he thought she was asleep, but she knew she couldn't pretend to sleep every time or sleep before him, it wasn't appropriate for a wife to sleep before her husband. Hinata had been taught since she was young how to be a good wife and mother and it seemed she practiced it automatically. She sat up and her pearly eyes swept the room to look for any sign of her husband. But she found none, her hand touched the other side of the futon, she found it was cold as if no one had slept on it. She blinked in confusion, then where was Sasuke last night? She felt a pang of sadness, even though she didn't want to be married to him, at least she would like to have his company. So she walked out from the room to look for him, but she didn't sense his chakra signature anywhere in the house. Her shoulders slumped, she returned to what was supposed to be their room. She opened the window to let fresh air into the room and noticed the sun hadn't fully risen. Then a flash of memory passed her mind, when she had met Naruto before she moved to Uchiha compound.

"_Hinata-chan!" Naruto smiled cheerfully, the same smile he had since they were young._

"_Naruto-kun," Hinata smiled back, long she had gotten over her crush to Naruto. She had found out the crush she had was only admiration to him, that's why she blushed and stuttered around him. It was something you usually felt when you were around the people you admired. Naruto had taught her many things, and she was grateful of that._

"_You're going to move soon?" _

"_Yes, it's a part of agreement"_

"_Oh," then Naruto took something out from his pocket, "I have something for you…"_

_It was a piece of paper, a bit crumpled since he put it in his side pocket's pants. She accepted the paper and stared to Naruto in confusion._

"_Ah, well. Since you're going to live with Sasuke, I think you'll need to know his daily schedule. It can't be called a schedule though, since most of the time he spent his time training or doing missions, sometimes we have team gathering or something like that," he grinned sheepishly. _

"_Arigato," she smiled gratefully to see how much he cared._

She still had the paper inside her clothes' pocket, she quickly reached for her clothes and found the paper was there. She hadn't had time to read it, her eyes were brimming down the contents of the paper carefully. Naruto's writing couldn't be said neat but it was readable enough, Hinata was surprised how complete Naruto had written Sasuke's schedule for the whole week -he even had the time written. She looked for today's schedule and found that Sasuke was supposed to have his morning training from 5 to 7 then he had his breakfast afterwards, she glanced at the clock on the table. It read 6:00. No wonder he wasn't at home, she felt a little relieved. She quickly reached for fresh clothes in the cupboard, she had an hour to prepare breakfast for the two of them.

I

I

I

Sasuke finished his morning training, he wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, not bothering to acknowledge that his hands were dirty. Not only his hands were dirty but also his whole body was full of sweat and dirt. His clothes were a bit torn and in some parts it was burnt. He had been practicing with his kage bushin, and the bushin didn't hold back, it even used fire type jutsus against him. It was a good training though, so he could learn his weakness and strength. He removed his ragged and dirty shirt, as he walked to his house he thought of having a nice warm bath. He slid the door open and soon his nose caught a luscious aroma from inside his house, from the direction of the kitchen. He nearly forgot that he didn't live on his own anymore as he sensed her chakra signature in the kitchen. She must've woken up, he thought and decided to check on her. He found her cutting vegetables beside the stove where a pot of soup was being heated. It was the source of the luscious aroma. He raised his eyebrow, it seemed she had gotten used to pretty easily. He noticed two sets of eating utensils had been prepared on the dining table, she had known where to get the utensils. He had organized it so he would be able to reach everything he need easily, not too hard for her it seemed. He returned his gaze to the new figure in his house, she had her hair braided and rested on her right shoulder. She was wearing his mother's apron, which suited her well. It had been a long time since the apron was used.

"O-Ohayo, Sasuke-san," she greeted as she sensed his chakra signature, she turned her head slightly to see him and her eyes widened slightly when he saw him shirtless, revealing his upper torso. She quickly returned her attention to the vegetables, her cheek flushed in embarrassment.

"Ohayo," for a moment he wondered why she looked so flustered, then he realized he wasn't wearing his shirt,

"I'm taking a bath." Without looking at her, he left for the bathroom. Hinata felt his presence left the kitchen and tried to calm herself. It was the first time she saw a man bare-chested, even she had never seen Neji like that. Well, it wasn't totally right though, she had seen men bare-chested in the hospital, after all, she was a medic nin. But it was the first time she had seen someone like that outside the hospital. So she had no reason to be flustered because of it, but she knew why. In the hospital, her attention was on the injuries, she didn't bother to look more. And when she saw how lean, toned his body was and well… being a shy person she was, she couldn't help but to blush. She shook her head to brush the thought off her mind and her finished cooking removed her thought easily. She prepared the food skillfully even though it was the first time she cooked breakfast. In the Hyuuga compound, she had everything prepared for her, included food. Fortunately, she liked cooking, a trait she had from her mother, so she was able to cook pretty well. She sometimes made bento for her team. Then she thought of her tomboyish younger sister who wasn't even able to cook simple food such as soup, she ended up poisoning herself. She restrained the urge to laugh when she remembered the memory. Hanabi was impressed with her cooking skills and asked to be taught to cook. Hinata had taught her the best she could yet her sister always failed. At last, Hanabi gave up and told her that cooking wasn't her thing, and she wouldn't need to cook for she had someone else to cook for her. Hinata didn't try to persuade her further, for she knew how stubborn her sister could be. She shook her head, she wondered why Hanabi always failed, it wasn't that difficult to cook compared to learning the Hyuuga style. Well, it seemed everyone had their own strength and weakness, and one of her brilliant younger sister weakness was cooking.

She raised her head to find Sasuke had cleaned himself, he was wearing his usual attire. He had his utility pouch on his waist and kunai pouch strapped on his right thigh. He sat himself on the chair, Hinata took off her apron and followed suit.

"Itadakimasu," he spoke barely audible and started to eat his breakfast. Hinata just held the chopsticks, her eyes on Sasuke who was eating her cooking. She tried to see if he didn't like her cooking, and when she found no sign of it, she ate her fill. They passed the breakfast in complete silence, both didn't make much noise. Sasuke finished first, he stood from his seat, without looking at her he told her,

"I'm training with Naruto, I will come home late. Do anything you want"

He said it monotonously without any hint of emotion, Hinata silently watched him leave. After cleaning the dishes, she decided to go to the hospital. As a jounin, she did many missions, sometimes on her own or within a group of four as a medic nin. She didn't choose to be an ANBU, instead she chose to become a jounin. One of ANBU missions was assassination, and she didn't like taking people's lives in purpose. She could kill when she had no other option, but if not, she would only paralyze her opponent. She could have become a jounin instructor and had students of her own -after all she liked children- but the clan didn't like the idea. The Hyuuga heiress should do much more useful thing than teaching a bunch of kids. She was about to object but knowing the clan, it was proven fruitless to convince them otherwise, because it was related with the clan's pride.

_Don't they remember who taught them? _She thought ruefully. On her day offs, she spent most of her time in the hospital, lending a hand that was accepted blissfully by the hospital staffs. Then, it had become a habit for her, she loved to help people, to see the smile return to their faces when she succeeded in healing them, and she felt sad when she couldn't do more to help them. It was one thing that didn't change through the years.

She passed a certain weapon store, and decided to pay a visit. The door had the sign 'open', she pushed the door open and she was greeted by a familiar young woman.

"Hinata!" she had a wide smile when she saw Hinata and hugged her.

"Tenten," Hinata returned the hug.

"How's the wedding?" she asked after she released her hug.

"Neji has told you?" it was more a statement, Hinata knew Neji told Tenten nearly everything, after all, she was his girlfriend. She was the only person that could make Neji blush, and Hinata often teased his cousin of it.

"Yep, mind if you tell me about it?" she asked in understanding.

"When do I mind? Do you have the time?"

"I doubt there'll be customers. It's the end of the month you know," she shrugged nonchalantly, Hinata smiled. Tenten motioned her to sit near the cashier after she changed the sign on the door from 'open' to 'close', they sat face to face.

"What did Neji tell you?" Years ago Hinata would never be the one who started a conversation, Tenten noted with a smile, but it turned to a scowl when she remembered about the marriage.

"An arranged marriage. How both of you has been betrothed to one another since you were born. Now that you're living with him in the Uchiha compound. How much he is worried for you," she looked at her sadly.

"I see…" she looked downward.

"Is everything alright?" Tenten titled her head upward with her finger, she could see concern within her eyes.

"It's alright so far, Sasuke-san isn't that bad"

"He's your husband, yet you still call him –san," Tenten's eyebrow twitched slightly,

"You know people will notice it. At least try to call him by name directly, even though you don't feel comfortable to. You're married, keep that in mind," she emphasized the last part.

"Alright… I'll try to," Hinata gave her a small smile, "Can you imagine people's reaction?"

"Surely I can, especially the girls," she snorted when she thought of it, Hinata giggled to see her expression.

"You know, some girls will be pretty violent when they find out. Don't bother them, you're way much better than them," she looked straight at Hinata, she knew she meant it,

"Most importantly, you have us, we'll right by your side when you need us. If Sasuke hurts you in _any_ way, don't afraid to tell us. We'll gladly help you," she squeezed Hinata's hand firmly.

"Thank you," it was a sincere gratitude. She had been feeling doubt since the news of her betrothal, but now the doubt was slowly going away. For the first time she thought everything would be alright, especially with her friends supporting her.

"By the way, how did Sakura react?"

"…Well, she's been avoiding me since she found about the marriage from Sasuke-s.., Sasuke," she was beginning to call him by name, Tenten's eyes gleamed with pride.

"Oh geez, why can't she be like more like Ino?" Tenten rolled her eyes, "Well, don't bother her, she needs to overcome her crush anyway"

Hinata merely twitched her eyebrow in question, it wasn't the best thing to do and since both of them were medic nin, meeting her was inevitable.

"I suppose I'm going now, I can't disturb you any longer"

"Oh no, I still have a plenty of time!"

"_He_ is on his way here," Hinata smiled teasingly to her. For a while, Tenten only looked at her then she sensed a very familiar chakra signature.

"Now I see how you become a jounin faster than most girls," she was impressed, Hinata didn't even bother to use her Byakugan.

"See you, send my regards to Neji," Hinata stood and walked to the door.

"No prob, take care," Tenten gave her a thumb up. With a last glance, she headed to the hospital.

I

I

I

Sasuke found Naruto resting on a tree branch around the training ground, his eyes closed, yet he knew he wasn't sleeping. Sasuke stealthily approached the tree where Naruto was and kicked the tree strong enough. Some of the leaves fell to the ground, along with Naruto. Naruto seemed surprised for a moment as he fell but within few seconds he had landed safely on the ground.

"Ouch! What was that for!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger on Sasuke who didn't seem to be disturbed.

"First, you already knew I've arrived. Second, you landed safely on the ground. So there is no reason for you to be angry, Dobe"

"Oh, alright!" Naruto raised his hand in surrender, he knew he was right, so instead of keeping a fight with him, he asked, "So how's life after marriage?"

"Not much. She cooks well." Naruto gave him a dumfounded look.

"Did I hear the coldest person on earth praise someone, most of all, a female?"

Sasuke merely looked at him, "She's my wife"

"Wow, you admit that! So how's the wedding night?" Naruto asked anxiously, but he didn't get any reply and he didn't need long to figure it out –which was pretty amazing for someone like Naruto, oh well, he'd matured-

"You didn't do anything?" Silence greeted him, Naruto was thinking of throwing some remarks about Sasuke being a married virgin or something like that, but he dismissed the thought when he noticed the look in his friend's face. He approached his friend and gave him a friendly pat,

"You're not as cold-hearted as people think you are"

Sasuke merely gave him a glance,

"Let's train"

"Alright." As they said so, they took opposite position and started their spar, a full taijutsu fight.

"Have you told her about your reason?" Naruto spoke in the midst of fight.

"No," Sasuke gave him a series of punch.

"Why not?" he dodged it one by one.

"Haven't had the chance to," he evaded a kick to his shin from Naruto.

"You know you should," there was weight in the latter's voice, it wasn't an advice.

"I know," he caught Naruto's left hand and aimed for a hit on the gut.

"You know Sasuke… you could've asked for Kakashi-sensei's advice. He's married after all," Naruto suggested after twisting himself and releasing Sasuke's grip on his hand.

"Since when he's a marriage counselor?"

"No harm to try," he shrugged and barely missing a kick aimed to his head, "I always wonder… you know that Sensei likes to read that book and Kurenai-sensei hates that book. Where do you think he hides it? He's still reading it for sure"

"Don't want to know," even though there was a smirk of amusement on his face.

"But I want to know," Naruto grinned.

I

I

I

Hinata had arrived in the hospital, she was easily noticed by the staff.

"Ohayo, Hinata-san," a woman with orange hair tied into a pigtail greeted her, she was wearing a doctor's coat and had a board on her hand.

"Ohayo, Ayumi-san. Is my help needed?" she smiled to the woman who was in charge of the hospital.

"Since when was your help not needed?" she smiled to her, she was fond of the Hyuuga heiress, all the staff of the hospital and most of the patients would agree with her.

"What can I help you?"

"Well, let's start with the children ward, you know how much they like you"

"I'll get started then"

Hinata enjoyed being around children, the children seemed to amaze her with their innocence and sincerity. She could easily forget her problems when she was with them.

"You're better in handling children than me. They're so hard to organize," a nurse who was in charge of the children ward told her.

"Oh, they aren't that difficult. We just need to be very patient to handle them"

"You would've made a great mother, Hinata-san. Why don't you have a child on your own?" another nurse added. Hinata blushed when the nurse mentioned about children, it reminded her about her marriage.

"Ow, Hinata-neechan's blushing! Who's the lucky guy?" a girl squealed.

"Akane-chan!" Hinata tried to hide her blush but no avail.

"Really, Hinata-san?" the nurses was making things worse for her, she felt heat rising up to her cheeks.

"Hey, stop teasing Hinata!" a voice came up from the direction of the door, "She'll let you know if you stop teasing her"

Hinata looked to the source of the voice to see her savior, she found it was Sakura, her hands on her hips, her eyebrow twitched.

"Sakura-neechan!" the children greeted her, Sakura was one of their favorite nee-chan other than Hinata even though sometimes they were afraid of her. Because when she was angry, she would give them a scary glare or make a dent on the wall with a flick of her finger.

"Hi kids. Sorry, but I need to borrow Hinata for some time," she approached a still blushing Hinata and grabbed her hand, she slightly titled her head to the door.

"Oh, sorry children. I need to go," Hinata smiled to the children and saw them pout. Without saying another word, Sakura half dragged Hinata to leave the ward. After a good distance away, Hinata let out a relieved sigh.

"Hinata, you should have just told them straight if you don't want to tell them. You're too easy to tease." Hinata looked at Sakura to find her smiling kindly at her.

"Thanks. I suppose, children is my weakness," she admitted. Sakura laughed good-naturedly.

"You're going to make a good mother." Hinata was surprised and she saw Sakura was sincere about that.

"Well, uh- you're free?" Sakura scratched her head nervously.

"Yes, it's near lunch time"

"Good. Then let's eat at the cafeteria, my treat," she added with a smile.

"Sure," Hinata smiled back, she liked to see Sakura back.

They took a seat in the garden, far from the crowd, it was their favorite place. When they were tired from practicing medical jutsu under Tsunade herself or Shizune, they would rest in the garden. It was a nice place, offering peace and tranquility.

"It's been a while," Hinata roamed through their surrounding slightly in a daze.

"Indeed. We've been busy these days," Sakura agreed, her eyes followed Hinata's gaze. They put the tray of food on the table, yet they didn't bother to eat it. Both was waiting the right time to talk, it was Sakura who spoke first,

"Sorry for being a jerk back then"

Hinata was caught a little off guard with her statement, she was about to speak when Sakura spoke again.

"… I'm a bit disappointed that suddenly Sasuke get married," she played her food with her fork.

"Not because of you, of course," she quickly added, "Well…I suppose I still have some crush on him, but well I should have overcome it long time ago. We're simply friends, not more"

"Sakura…" Hinata looked at her symphatically.

"I just realized it yesterday, how foolish of me… But I can't help to feel upset… We're supposed to be friends, yet Sasuke didn't bother to explain about the marriage to me. It was Naruto who explained to me and Kakashi-sensei. It seems he doesn't trust me as much as Naruto, huh?"

"Sakura, you know it's not true," Hinata disagreed, "You know you're the closest girl to him and the only one that he feels comfortable with. I don't know much about Sasuke but I notice that he is much more at ease around you, Naruto and Kakashi-san"

"Do you think so?" Hinata nodded in assurance. Sakura knew Hinata was telling the truth, but when she thought of her words, she frowned.

"…Does Sasuke treat you well?"

"He treats me fine, though it's a bit hard to understand him"

"I suppose it's hard for you," Sakura looked at her sympathically.

"Not really," Hinata lied, she didn't want to make people worry about her. Sakura looked at her skeptically.

"You know, Hinata. You're not good in hiding your feelings. Probably it'll work to people who aren't close to you but for us… it won't," she waved her fork warningly to Hinata.

Hinata knew Sakura was right, she had spent more time with Sakura than any other people due to their medical training and she could consider Sakura her best friend, like Naruto to Sasuke. The truth was, when she found out she was going to marry Sasuke, she was afraid that Sakura would hate her and she was sad when the last few days before the marriage Sakura avoided her. She was truly relieved and happy that Sakura didn't hate her, she was even worried about her.

"Well, after all we barely know each other," Hinata at last admitted.

"I see… I need years to understand him and honestly, until now sometimes I don't," Sakura started to eat, and she motioned Hinata to do the same. Hinata gladly followed, the air felt much friendlier, just like old times.

"How come?"

"Well, the old Sasuke was easier to understand, he started to open up when we were closer as a team. But after the war… after he achieved his goal… he changed," Hinata saw Sakura's eyes saddened,

"He became colder and more distant, even though I feel that he trusts us more and he smiles more often than he used to. There some times he truly closes himself from everybody, that time there are no hint of emotion in his face… totally blank and… cold, that way he is more like _him_." Hinata didn't need to ask who was the one Sakura mentioned.

"And all the time… the only one who understands is only Naruto. Isn't it funny?" Sakura smiled to her, though she didn't seem amused with the fact.

"Those two rivals, one is the dead last, while the other is the number 1 rookie. One is loud and brash, while the other is calm and composed. One is more open in his own feelings, while the other keeps it to himself. One is like the day, while the others like the night. Complete opposites, yet they understand one another better than anyone else… It is sad, that I consider myself their friend but I can hardly understand their pain, what they've gone through"

"Sakura…"

"They're so much alike, despite of their appearance. If you can understand Naruto, then I believe you can understand Sasuke. He's a good person inside, trust me. I think you haven't experienced your wedding night yet"

Hinata gave Sakura an incredulous look, Sakura chuckled to see Hinata's face.

"Told you," Sakura grinned.

"So what should I do?" Hinata encouraged herself to ask, she had been looking for someone to ask that question.

"Try to understand him. Start a conversation.. oh wait, that'll be hard, but try it anyway. Be very patient. I believe he'll open up to you sooner or later. Just be yourself, Hinata. If there's someone who can get through him, it'll be only you"

Hinata blinked in confusion, Sakura gave her a playful look.

"We'll see," she ended her advice.

I

I

I

Hinata came home late –she was getting used to calling the Uchiha Manor her home-, she found the house was dark, indicating that Sasuke wasn't home yet. She was tired, there was an emergency case, a shinobi had returned from a mission with severe injuries. He lost lots of blood, had broken bones and his consciousness was drifting away slowly, he would die without quick and right treatment. She and Sakura took the matter at their hands, since they were the best the hospital could afford. They healed the person nonstop for 4 hours straight, and the man was saved successfully from the brink of death. Afterwards, they left him under the hospital full care, knowing how tired they were. She was relieved that the man was saved, now she was more at ease knowing he was at the right hand. She flexed her sore muscles and headed straight to have a warm nice bath. She was nearly fallen asleep in the bath tub, fortunately Sasuke hadn't come home, or she would be embarrassed that she was nearly drowned in her own house. She cooked dinner for two and waited for Sasuke's arrival. But even though she had finished her fill, there was no sign of him.

Hinata sighed sadly, she wanted to start to understand him, but it seemed Sasuke was avoiding her. Both of them weren't ready, she realized, it needed a long time to earn each other trust… and love if possible. So she decided to sleep and hoped the next morning they would exchange more than words, but a real conversation.

* * *

Author's Note: Umm, I suppose I should warn you that the story will progress a little slow. Oh, come on, you don't expect them to fall in love so fast, do you? Step by step. One at a time. Oh, another pairing! Neji and Tenten! Not really a fan of them though, but since Neji is one of Hinata's closest people whom she regarded as a brother… well you get what I mean. Who's gonna appear next? Any suggestions? Constructive critism? You're very welcomed. And a side note, the dialogue between Naruto and Sasuke reflects my curiosity what happen to that book after Kakashi is married, aren't you curious?

Responses:

Fractured wings 01 – Wow, you're the first reviewer. Thanks, I'll ask your advice probably soon enough. I'm a little blank here. Too bad you don't continue, it seems all your series fic have no ending, or I'm mistaken? I love your stories, and I wish to see them continued.

Kat of Mosh Pits – O-O the longest review I've ever had… Cool… I'm flattered that you think my story is nice, I hope I won't disappoint you. I think there are other SasuHina stories better than mine, I'm not kidding! Check my favorite stories list and I suggest you read The Logical Conclusions or Era. Sasuke's characterization is inspired from Era, though a little different. About anonymous reviews… well, I'm not that confident in my ability so… I don't dare to take the risk –scratches her head, smiles sheepishly. Sorry about the Kakashi, Kurenai's husband thing I suppose I overdid it, just thinking of filling empty spaces, I truly need a lot to learn. Don't say Kiba just mature slightly, he'll be mad to hear you… though I agree :lol: after all in my story the rookie nine are 21 and Gai's team are 22. And here's the longest response XDD

Athar-Luna – Thanks, and here a chapter with Sakura in it. I've thought of making Sakura jealous yet… it just seems too childish. Come on, for the whole NINE years, having a crush to someone who treats you only as a friend? Just doesn't suit me. I'm sorry if you expect more. There will be a lot of SasuHina interaction though. KakaKure after they're married -grins- you'll know how silly they can be, especially they are a figure of parents for their students.

SHaPbY – Hey, at last you logged in! I thought you didn't have an account! Thanks for the beta! I'll send all the next chapters for you to beta, and glad to see you join the ring of SasuHina fans, cheers! Told you, they're an interesting pair. Me? Talented? No way!

Not to forget other reviewers, Kumiko Yamashita, mUcHaChAnGiStAriRaY (I always have trouble in writing your penname XDD), Ah-choo, xxMizukixx (Glad you like it), Hell Devil (Thank you very much! I'm trying my best!), newblue, kenshinlover2002, and chinadoll27.


	4. Of Nightmares

Another chapter! Oh my, -still perplexed to see so many reviews- after all, I never expect those. Fortunately, I didn't need a long time to write this chapter, it was finished two days after I finished previous chapter. No wonder, especially if you have a certain someone bugging you about the next chapter every time we meet online in Y!M coughSHaPbYcough. So all thanks goes to her, included for the beta of this chapter. This chapter will be pretty interesting in the end, though I'm a bit unsure about it. So, tell me about it in your reviews. Don't be too shy, a simple review 'Update!' is already enough for me to continue this fic. Let's read!

Another line of Standard Disclaimer… well, you already know it. So, I don't really think I need to write it. It applies to all of my fanfics. Responses, incase you forget, is below. : ) Arigatou gozaimasu!

* * *

**What Are We?**

**Of Nightmares**

The next morning, Hinata found herself sleeping alone. There was no trace of warmth on the other side of the futon where she slept. She looked at the empty place blankly, a part of her was relieved, while the other part was saddened. She glanced at the clock, and saw she wasn't late for making breakfast. As she prepared the breakfast, she was thinking about her plan of having a real conversation with Sasuke. She felt nervous of the thought of it only, she didn't know exactly what she was supposed to talk about. Her old habit of fidgeting almost resurfaced if she wasn't cooking at the time.

She was arranging the table when Sasuke returned from his morning training. She didn't need to look up to see him heading towards the bathroom. Slowly, she was getting used to with all the routine, Naruto was right about his life seemed to revolve around training and missions. Sasuke didn't bother to announce his presence to Hinata, he sat in his usual seat at the opposite side of the table without making a noise. They ate in silence, Hinata tried to break the silence yet she couldn't muster the courage to speak. For it seemed like an eternity for Hinata, she heard a noise of a chair moved against the floor, making her instinctively raised her head to look at the source.

"I have a mission. I won't return for few days." Hinata's eyes widened in surprise, he wasn't supposed to have any missions after their marriage, at least after the announcement of the marriage made. Sasuke seemed to read her mind.

"It is an important mission. All the ANBU captains are asked for their presence in the Hokage office"

"…Wakatta," she didn't try to persuade him further. Sasuke walked to the door, Hinata followed silently. She just noticed that Sasuke wore his ANBU attire and was full-geared, he had his ANBU mask that resembled a wolf on his right arm. She watched him wearing his sandals and when he was about to leave, she had gathered enough courage to speak,

"Odaijini"-take care of yourself

Hinata saw her husband's back tensed for a moment, then without giving a glance or word he left the house. She stood motionlessly until she felt his chakra signature moved further from her. She let out a sigh, they weren't going anywhere in their second day of their life together. She returned to the dining room to clean the dishes. As she cleaned the dishes, she wondered what she would do for the following days without her husband's presence in the house. She looked around the house, and decided she would do some cleaning up.

I

I

I

Hinata started cleaning up Uchiha Mansion from their bedroom or the room she currently resided. She found the room was clean enough, it seemed her family's servant had cleaned it before she moved in. Her eyes examined the room thoroughly for the first time, she noticed it was the largest room in the house –she had passed other rooms before- making her wonder who used to reside the room.

She slid the storage open to place the futon inside. She noticed that there were other things at the corner of the storage. She knew it was best for her to leave it untouched, especially it wasn't her properties. But her curiosity was getting better of her, she reached out her hand to find it was a medium-sized carton box. It was rather dusty, Hinata noticed, she blew the dust away. The first thing she found in the box was a black wooden box that was beautifully engraved. She gently lifted the cover and found the most beautiful kimono she had ever seen. It was a dark lavender silk kimono along with a matching purple obi. She also found a golden hairpin and comb, she could smell a faint lavender scent from the kimono. She closed the box and reached for more inside the carton box. She found a dusty old photo album, carefully she opened the pages. It was the Uchiha family's photo album. At the first pages she saw a stern looking man, whom she figured easily was Uchiha clan's leader and Sasuke's father, Uchiha Fugaku. As the Hyuuga heiress she was taught to recognize all the leaders of important clans, and the Uchiha clan was among them. She found a picture of beautiful woman wearing the beautiful kimono she found. She had the dark eyes and hair of an Uchiha, she was standing under a sakura tree whose petals fell to the breeze. She was smiling, her smile was full of kindness and warmth. Unconsciously a smile found its way to Hinata's face, the woman reminded her of her mother. She flipped more pages and it wasn't hard for her to figure the beautiful woman was Sasuke's mother. She saw more pictures of Sasuke –and Itachi-'s childhood. She saw how different Sasuke was before the massacre, he seemed like an ordinary boy. There was no sign of the cold, stoic and distant Sasuke, she even found some pictures with Sasuke smiling. The last thing she found in the box was a framed photo, she used her sleeve to clean the frame. It was a picture of the four of them together. Sasuke and his family, along with his brother, Uchiha Itachi.

Hinata touched the picture sadly. There was nothing left of the picture now. Three people in the picture had passed away, while the only one remaining had no longer the same eyes within the picture. The bright and innocent eyes had been replaced with cold and hard eyes. She wished she could see more of him, see through his cold and stoic façade. But it seemed so hard, recalling how few the words they exchanged. Hinata clutched the photograph tightly to her chest. How much she wished to know him better and to see the other side of him that she believed still remain after all those years.

I

I

I

Kurenai was doing some groceries shopping, she was wearing casual clothes, considering it was her day off. She had just finished loading some fruits and vegetables when she recognized three familiar figures walking between the crowds. Before she greeted them though, they spotted her first.

"Kurenai-sensei!" an alto voice greeted her, the figure waved her hand.

"What have I told you about calling me –sensei?" Kurenai smiled as the three approached her.

"Ah, sorry nearly forget that Kurenai-_san_" the figure was appeared to be a tall, slender and attractive blond with bright blue eyes. She was wearing casual attire that hugged her curves well.

"Groceries shopping?" her companion asked politely, she had her hair in a bun. She was the tallest and seemed to be the oldest of the group.

"Yes. May I know what these beautiful young ladies are doing?" Kurenai gave them a teasing look.

"Ah, nothing much, Kurenai-san. Just enjoying our break," the last of the three answered. She had a shoulder-length pink hair and her attire showed her identity as a medic nin.

"A break for Sakura and a day off for me and Tenten," the blond who appeared to be Ino pointed out.

"I see. Though it's been a while I see you together like this," Kurenai smiled to see three of the strongest kunoichi of their generation, Hinata was included. The girls had become closer after the war, but since the village needed every shinobi they had to rebuild itself, they couldn't spend more time with each other. She also noticed they had grown to beautiful and not to forget, attractive young women. One of them was already married, two was already in a relationship and only one was still available.

"Is it true Hinata is already married?" suddenly Ino asked, she had lowered her voice so only the four of them could hear.

"Yes. Didn't Sakura tell you?" Kurenai answered.

"Only few hours before the announcement made," Ino had an annoyed look in her face.

"I told you we weren't supposed to tell anybody, Ino," Sakura told her.

"I know, I know. But it seems only me who didn't know about it, while Hinata is my friend," Ino crossed her hands, pouting.

"Oh well, exactly we're going to visit Hinata. I heard more than a half of the ANBU were sent into a mission," Tenten easily changed the topic.

"Really? I haven't heard of it, but I noticed all the commotion," Kurenai remembered finding Kakashi had left before she woke up. Then there must be something that truly important that all the ANBU were sent into mission and her husband's presence was required.

"Then if it's true, Hinata must be alone in the Uchiha compound. So we decided to visit," Sakura explained.

"Especially you know how… quiet that place is," Ino shuddered at the thought.

"Do you want to go with us?" Tenten offered on their behalf.

"I'd really like to, after I drop this," she indicated her groceries.

I

I

I

Hinata had nearly finished cleaning up the house when she heard knockings outside the door. She cleaned herself from the dust and headed for the door anxiously. She knew whose chakra signature it belonged to. She slid the door open to find all of the closest women she had, a smile appeared on her face.

"Minna-san!" it was indeed Kurenai, Sakura, Tenten and Ino.

"Hinata!" Ino hugged her, "Glad to see you're fine"

"I'm fine, thank you, Ino. Come on in," she invited them to her house, which they gladly took. The women examined the place and were impressed that the place was pretty well-maintained and comfortable.

"It looks better than the last time I visited here," Sakura commented.

"Oh, I'm doing some cleaning up and rearranging some of the furniture. I hope Sasuke doesn't mind"

"He shouldn't. After all, it looks more comfortable this way," Ino had visited Uchiha Manor once with Shikamaru when he needed to hand out a mission for Sasuke. She remembered how much the house reflected the last Uchiha, cold and quiet, and it was pretty unnerving especially to remember what had happened here. But now, with only Hinata's presence in the house and a little arrangement, the house looked warmer and more comfortable to live in. If it was her, she doubted she'd made it comfortable, instead she'd only make more mess. Now… the only thing that was missing was…

"So, how's the wedding night?"

"Uh well-" Hinata should have expected this to come from Ino, yet she found herself unable to answer. Sakura who had known everything, pinched Ino and gave her a stern look. Fortunately, since they were childhood friends, Ino didn't need a long time to figure what Sakura meant. While the others who were more observant than Ino, could easily understand.

"How about some tea? It's been a while I tasted your tea, Hinata," Kurenai smoothly changed the topic. Hinata was glad with her quick reaction,

"Ah, I'll go prepare it. Make yourself comfortable," she said as she left them in the dining room. The four took their seats around the dining table, Tenten took another from the living room for Hinata to sit. Hinata appeared from her bedroom, carrying a bag of fresh tea leaves she had kept for a time. The women watched as Hinata skillfully brewed the tea and put the tea leaves into the boiling water.

"Still as skillful as ever with the tea, aren't you, Hinata?" Kurenai watched her former student pour the tea from the teapot. Hinata chuckled slightly,

"No, not really. So what brings you here?"

"We heard about the mission," Tenten told her.

"Oh," Hinata's voice fell slightly, and it didn't go unnoticed by the women.

"Is there any progress so far?" Sakura carefully asked. The others were silent, knowing that Sakura seemed to be more aware of Hinata situation.

"We haven't had a real conversation. We barely speak to each other," Hinata admitted

"No kidding," Ino shot her an incredulous look.

"Both of you aren't conversationalist," Kurenai spoke. That what made things harder.

"So far what did you talk with him?" Tenten asked.

"Not much," then she thought it over, "Honestly, we never talked"

She received surprised and disbelief looks from them.

"We only met in breakfast and he was the only one talking. It couldn't be said talking though…"

"Oh my…" Ino slapped her forehead.

"What should I do then?" the fact was making her desperate, two days! Two days, and they barely spoke and knew each other, what a life.

"Sasuke isn't someone who initiates a conversation unless he needs to," Sakura spoke, "In the end, you're the one who need to start everything"

"There's no need to hurry, Hinata. Take it easy, I need a pretty long time to understand Kakashi," Kurenai added.

"Really?" the young women looked toward the elder with interest.

"Yes. A good liar, that Kakashi is, and especially with that mask, it's very hard to guess what exactly he's thinking. We didn't know each other for long. I remember that I needed to be extra patient to get under his skin, until I gained his complete trust. And after that, I still needed to wait until he admitted his feelings to me. You can imagine how long I waited"

"Not much different here," Ino spoke, "Even though I know Shika since we were child, there are some times I don't understand him. He even admitted his feelings in an unexpected way and then acted as if nothing had happened. It was really confusing, but well… he has his own way to show he cares. How 'bout you Tenten? I heard Neji is pretty romantic"

"He is," Hinata confirmed without Tenten's consent, resulting a blushing Tenten.

"He gave me a bouquet of red roses…"

"How lucky you are!" the women squealed, except Hinata who had seen the couple interact pretty often.

"How about you Sakura? Found a great partner?" Tenten got away with that question.

"No, not yet. Being a medic nin is pretty busy. I can hardly have time for myself," Sakura tried to get rid all the attention she was getting.

"You can if you manage your time well," Hinata disagreed, "How about Naruto-kun?"

Sakura was rendered speechless, a blush found its way to her cheeks.

"Sakura! You didn't tell me you're interested in Naruto," Ino teased her.

"No-Not like that!" Sakura tried to hide her embarrassment, but she failed miserably.

"Oh, come on. Your face tells us the opposite," Tenten joined in. Hinata and Kurenai were watching with amusement how Sakura was cornered by Ino and Tenten about Naruto. She couldn't help to feel grateful for having them as her closest people, how she was able to feel comfortable around them, without worrying about her status. Hinata glanced to her former sensei and realized there was no reason to hurry, Kurenai also had the same problem with Kakashi, and they made an adorable pair. Her mood lightened up a little with her friends' presence and it was enough for her.

I

I

I

Days and weeks passed without many incidents, Hinata spent most of her time in the hospital or in the Uchiha Manor. She was restrained in the hospital since there were many shinobi returned with various levels of injuries, more than usual, both she and Sakura noticed. She couldn't help but to be worried about the well being of Sasuke and her friends who were in the ANBU. She heard that there were some chaos erupted in the western borders of Fire Country, a coup d'etat they said, and it was involving the Wind Country. No wonder why the more than half of ANBU together with Konoha chuunin and jounin was sent to stabilize the situation along with Suna shinobi.

Kakashi returned once in a while, reporting the situation to the Hokage and giving some information to Kurenai that all the former genin who was in ANBU was faring well. It relieved Hinata and her friends a little, but they had nothing to do than wait. Tsunade sometimes came down herself to aid the injured shinobi and comforted the kunoichis. Every time Hinata found herself free, she used it to pray for Sasuke and her friends. No one really wanted to become a widow just few weeks after their marriage.

"Tadaima…" she spoke to nobody in the house as she removed her sandals. She was allowed to take a rest for a day with Sakura covering her for today and she will cover her in other day in return. It was an exhausting week for her, she took care of the injured shinobi without having proper rest the whole week. Fortunately the amount of the injured shinobi lessened, so she could take a proper rest for at least a day. She was exhausted inside and out, she used nearly all of her chakra and she gave her full attention to heal them. Being a medic nin wasn't easy, she was inquired not to do any mistakes, any single mistake would risk a human's life. She couldn't give too much or too little chakra, she couldn't lack attention towards them, and she must do her best to save their lives. It was a huge responsibility and burden, she had realized the consequences when she decided to become a medic nin. She had seen much worse in the war, there were so many people dying, children and adults, civilians and shinobi. It was a painful memory, she squeezed her eyes shut tightly, she had tried to save all of them with all her abilities. She was still naïve back then, she could barely understand the hardships of war… the hardships of being a shinobi. She must accept the fact that she couldn't help everybody, even how much she wanted to. Death was… inevitable, she learned it hard way, she almost lost her precious people back then. In war, you didn't have many choices, to kill or to be killed. Or you would lose your life or your precious people's lives. She had learned that there was always a possibility of not returning from mission. That was the life of shinobi.

Still… Hinata wasn't used to seeing death and suffering in front of her eyes, especially when she was supposed to help them. It was still painful to see them battling with death when they were supposed to have a long and promising journey ahead. She loosened her hair and took a deep breath. It was a stressful day indeed. She decided to take a long warm bath.

Having a nice warm bath was very useful after you had a long and hard work, it relaxed your tense muscles and your troubled mind. Hinata had her hair held in a bun, then as she had the water to her neck she rested her back to the bathtub. She closed her eyes and started to regulate her breathing slowly and steadily. Minutes passed in comfortable silence, she noticed the sun was setting from the fading light that went through the window.

Suddenly her eyes shot open as she sensed someone's presence. She quickly lifted herself up from the bathtub and wrapped herself with a light blue kimono for sleep after drying herself with a towel. She headed to the front door as fast as her legs could carry her. She found the person she had been waiting for.

Sasuke.

He had taken off his ANBU mask and he was removing his sandals. Hinata noticed he wasn't in a good condition. She could see dirt on his face and dried blood all over his body, probably his and/or other shinobi. His clothes were dirty and ragged.

Sasuke straightened himself and as he raised his head he could see a concerned Hinata standing in front of him. He felt something warm inside of him to know that someone cared, that _she_ cared, the woman who had been forced to marry and live together with him.

"Daijobu desuka?" she asked in concern. She was about to approach him when he raised a hand, stopping her further.

"I'm alright, I just need a rest," then without waiting her reply, he walked pass her. Hinata only stared at his retreating back, knowing that he didn't need –or want, other voice inside her said- her help. She realized she couldn't do anything but to prepare dinner for the two of them.

Even though she had finished her fill, she didn't see him anywhere. Thinking Sasuke was probably asleep, she wrapped his fill with plastic so he could heat it after he was awake. She headed to her room and found that it was empty, making her wonder in which room did Sasuke sleep. She would have gone to check each room to find where Sasuke slept, but she didn't do it. Instead she laid herself on the futon and let herself drift to sleep.

I

I

I

In the middle of the night, Hinata found herself awake to her wonder. She wasn't a type of person who was awake in the middle of the night unless there was something happen. She sharpened her senses and activated her Byakugan, but it seemed nothing was out of place. It was an ordinary silence, not like a certain silence before a sudden attack. She could hear an owl and grasshoppers outside. She deactivated her Byakugan, her hand ran through her hair.

_I suppose I'm just too tired, I shouldn't have overworked myself_, she made a mental note to herself.

She thought of having a glass of water would be nice before she slept. So she walked through the dark hallways to the kitchen, her eyes could easily adjust with the darkness. She was reaching for a glass in the cupboard when her sharp hearing caught some noise. The noise was coming from inside the house, not far from the dining room. She decided to check where the noise was coming from, she quickly dismissed the thought of having a drink. She walked carefully and soundlessly to the source of the noise. The source of the noise appeared to come from a guest room, she sharpened her senses only to find a familiar chakra signature. It was Sasuke's.

But his chakra signature was unusual, it was rather… ecstatic. She didn't like the feeling, so she decided to check on him though another part of her didn't support the idea of going inside the room without permission. But the other part of her, being kind and caring person she was, was more worried about Sasuke's condition. She cautiously slid the door open, she waited for a moment if she had any reaction and she found none. She slipped into the room, she recognized the room for she happened to clean the room before. It was smaller than her room so she needed to be very careful in her approach. She found him sleeping in the middle of the room, still wearing his ANBU attire.

_He shouldn't have slept in those clothes_, she thought.

She noticed that he was sleeping uneasily. He was sweating, and breathing rapidly. She could see his head was twitching restlessly. It seemed… he was having a nightmare. His fists were clenched tightly and she saw something liquid seeped through. Her eyes widened in surprise, he was hurting himself!

She was about to touch him when she felt herself pinned to the wall hard. She needed less than a second to register what had happened. She found herself gazing towards blazing red eyes of Sharingan looking at her menacingly.

"…Sa-Sasuke," she managed to whisper through her surprised state.

She saw his eyes narrowed as if he was trying to figure who she was and there was a spark of recognition in his eyes. He roughly let her go, leaving her gasping for air from the surprise. He was so close, and his eyes… his eyes were…

Sasuke had calmed himself yet she could see from his shoulders that he was breathing heavily. In the moment she looked at his eyes, he had deactivated his Sharingan. Before she opened her mouth to speak, he told her harshly,

"Get out," it was more like a growl at first.

"Get out NOW!" the tone of his voice startled Hinata who had never seen him in this kind of condition. She hesitated at first but knowing she couldn't do anything, she quickly retreated as far as she could from Sasuke.

After he sensed that she was in a safe distance away from him, he slid downward to the cupboard near the futon, his shoulder supporting his weight. He clutched his head that was throbbing painfully as he remembered of the images he had in his sleep. He gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the overwhelming pain.

_That was so close_… he felt cold sweat trickled down his spine… _She shouldn't have seen it_…

Meanwhile, Hinata had returned to her room, her back facing the door. She was breathing heavily after her encounter. She was clutching her kimono tightly, attempting to calm herself. She couldn't forget his eyes, it was her first time in encountering the Sharingan directly. However, it wasn't the Sharingan that made her afraid, but it was how he looked at her… it was full of hatred, and anger. Beyond all of those, she also noticed pain, sadness and... guilt. It was the first time she had seen so many emotions whirling inside those usually cold and blank eyes. The only thing she could think of was…

_What was that?_

_

* * *

_

Author's Note: Hoho, what was that? Read on to find out! XDD It's a silly part of me, probably you can consider that a cliffhanger. Told you, about the last part of the chapter -grins- and what do you think? Is it too fast for a problem in their life? Or anything else? Your responses are needed BADLY! Honestly I'm not a writer who already has everything planned, I only have a brief imagination where the story goes but more than that, the details… Well, you got it. I still have some holes to fill. I want to know how long the story goes, do you want only 15? 20? Between? Or more? From your responses in average I'll make the story around that length. Some stories are better ended soon.

Responses:

Kat of Mosh Pits – Ho, you checked my favs? Good author… me?-blushes- Here the story begins, I hope I don't disappoint you and the others.

Fractured wings 01 – I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend you. Really! –puppy dog eyes- I got it, so many ideas yet you can't have it all continued in the same time. Don't worry. You're going to update it? Yay! Then make me blow my socks off, it's a challenge for both of us :D Oh, what exactly C2 staff do? I don't want to end up becoming a passive staff.

Dark Nadeshiko – Wow, cool name, btw. Sasuke didn't really train all night long, it'll be revealed in future chapters. Thankfully, yes, I didn't make Sakura a b… I realize in some SasuHina fics Sakura was either annoying or… dead XD (not really, only one I'm not mistaken). I wish to see them all matured, at least a little, for the war has forced them to. Hiashi cares… because I believe he does.

mUcHaChAnGiStAriRaY – no prob, I can easily copy paste your name : ) I found another person who wondered where Kakashi hid his books! Sakura and Hinata talk, Hinata will need at least one person to ask for advice, and Sakura is the best candidate. Talented… uh… okay SasuHina ring… well I don't have one, but I want to make it. So far I only join a C2 managed by Fractured wings 01. Any idea?

Lems – Thank you, I'm very flattered. Especially you've used capitals and exclamation marks to express your thoughts. There goes two… who said that I was supposed to let anonymous review. I think I'll do it then.

firewindgurl – My other favorite SasuHina author! Happy days XDD Never expect you'll drop by and read this fic. I base their character from the manga, since I don't watch the anime. You don't expect our beloved characters stay the same all the years and with so many things have happened, do you? The colder and distant Sasuke seems more interesting and possible, as much as the stronger yet sweet and kind Hinata.

Thanks to those who kept reviewing until this chapter, I'm truly honored, xxMizukixx (O-O wow, is my story that good?), Ah-choo, Dearx (Yay for SasuHina too!), newblue, chinadoll27, kenshinlover2002, and wolf-enzeru.


	5. Of Arguments

I've enabled the Anonymous reviewer, and thankfully I have positive reviews. It's just I can't know them better since they're non-member and most of them didn't give them their e-mail. Incase I want to email them personally… But, it's nice to see your reviews.

This chapter is dedicated to my friend SHaPbY, thank you very much for your support and beta! Sorry for asking you to return the edited chapter as soon as possible. I hope I didn't trouble you.

As all of us know… I do not own Naruto. I merely own my own story, besides Naruto would be pretty boring if I did the story… there wouldn't much action :D And here's the story!

* * *

**What Are We?**

**Of Arguments **

It was late at 7 in the morning when Hinata woke up from her slumber. It seemed her fatigue was catching up with her and last night's incident had made it harder for her to sleep. His eyes kept haunting her and her mind couldn't stop thinking of what had happened. She didn't remember when she fell asleep. Her hand ran through her hair, gently rubbing her temple. She didn't bother to take a bath first; instead she headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. As she arranged the table, she expected Sasuke to appear as usual to have breakfast. However, after minutes passed in silence, she sensed no sign of her husband anywhere around the house. She grew worried to her husband's whereabouts but when she recalled last night… she knew he was avoiding her. She let out a sigh and looked at her hands on the table.

She must do something, she realized. Yet she didn't have any vague idea what to do. They couldn't keep avoiding each other like this, they were husband and wife, and they were living under the same roof. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to clear her mind. In the end, she decided to go to the hospital; probably she could get some advice from Sakura.

I

I

I

When Hinata arrived in the hospital, she noticed how busy it was. The hospital was crowded by many injured shinobi that had just returned from the mission. She could see the staff was working hard to ensure every single shinobi was treated immediately based by their level of injuries. Hinata half-expected this: it seemed Sasuke wasn't the only one who had returned. She quickly looked for Sakura for she was put in charge of the hospital. She didn't need long time to find her pink-haired friend; Sakura was giving direct and clear orders to the staff. Hinata could see some of them were stressed and panicked with so many patients to be treated.

_This isn't good,_ Hinata thought.

So Hinata positioned herself where she could be heard and seen clearly by the staff,

"Attention please!"

Her voice wasn't too loud nor too gentle, but enough to make the staff look at her.

"Calm down," she emphasized those words carefully and gave each staff a stern look.

"Don't panic. We can't afford to do any mistakes. We've been trained for this, we can do it. It's not much more different with our usual day. We only have more patients -- that's all. You've been given instructions, follow it closely," Hinata gave Sakura a slight nod.

"People, start working! Please address to your position! Don't forget to change shift. We're racing with time here. Now, get moving!" With Sakura's orders, the staff spread out to their positions. Hinata approached Sakura whose eyes were on the clipboard she held.

"Thanks. You came right on time. I couldn't have handled them better," Sakura smiled weakly to Hinata. Hinata noticed how weary her friend was from the dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep.

"Great. How's the situation?" Hinata asked.

"We have approximately 300 injured shinobi and the number keeps rising," Sakura let out a sigh, "It's the greatest number we have had since the war"

"I see…" and without a warning, Hinata dragged Sakura by her hand, ignoring her weak protests. Hinata took her to the staff office and pushed her to sit on the available couch.

"What was that for!" Sakura demanded angrily.

"Sleep," Hinata spoke firmly, "Three hours. Not less"

"But-" Sakura was about to protest but stopped when she saw the stern look Hinata gave her.

"No buts. You need sleep. A medic nin is supposed to be in her best condition. And with your current condition, you won't be able to perform properly. Three hours sleep will be enough. I will be in charge of the hospital until you recover. I've had enough rest. Is that clear?"

Sakura knew Hinata better than most people and she knew it was better to comply with Hinata's orders. Hinata had gained confidence through the years and she didn't afraid to give orders when she needed to. From the look in Hinata's eyes, Sakura knew Hinata wouldn't hesitate to tie her to the couch so she would rest, even if she needed to close up her tenketsus. So under Hinata's watchful eyes, Sakura laid herself down and realized how exhausted she was. Within seconds, Sakura was already deeply asleep. Hinata smiled in relief, she took out a white coat from her locker and left the room quietly not to disturbed the sleeping Sakura. Hinata's attention now was focused on the injured shinobi's well-being; all the previous thought was forgotten.

I

I

I

After long hours without sleep, all of the injured shinobi had been taken care of completely. The hospital was forced to mobilize as many medic nin as they could, under direct orders from Hinata and Sakura who recovered after five hours rest, more than she liked though she was grateful of it. Shizune at last appeared and took the lead from them, Tsunade –Godaime- herself thanked them for their hard work. They were freed from hospital duties and missions for the week.

That's how Hinata and Sakura ended strolling down the street, enjoying the warm breeze as the sun was about to set in the horizon. Sakura loosened her hair that she had tied to a bun during her time in the hospital. The two brilliant medic nin looked a little refreshed after having some late lunch in their favorite restaurant though signs of fatigue was still evident in their faces. Sakura was the most exhausted between them. She didn't resist yawning, which she politely did by putting a hand over her mouth.

"You should head home and rest. Tsunade-sama has given us a few days off," Hinata smiled to her friend.

"Yeah, bed seems so tempting…" Sakura took the suggestion sleepily, "I'll guess we separate here. Ja"

"Hn. Kiyoskete ne, don't walk with your eyes closed," Hinata added teasingly.

"Don't worry. I won't," Sakura stuck out her tongue to Hinata. She waved her hand before she completely disappeared from Hinata's sight. Hinata's gaze remained at the direction where Sakura went and knew it wasn't the right time to ask some advice.

All the commotion had made her forget about Sasuke for a while, but when it was over her memories about the night returned. She couldn't avoid Sasuke forever since both of them were living together, and she was totally clueless what to do. She needed advice badly, but Sakura wasn't in her best condition to give her one… leaving only one person to ask for advice.

Hinata knocked on the door of his apartment few times. She thought he was inside since Sasuke had also returned, she hoped he wasn't sleeping. She waited patiently in front of the door and her patience was paid off. She could hear footsteps approaching the door and the door screeched open, revealing a pair of sleepy cerulean eyes and unruly spiky blond hair. When he saw who the guest was, his eyes quickly brightened up, any trace of sleep disappeared as if it had never been there.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto smiled broadly.

"Naruto-kun. Did I disturb you?" Hinata smiled back politely.

"Nope. Come on in!" Naruto opened the door to let her in. Hinata gladly took the invitation and stepped inside his apartment. She had visited Naruto's apartment before, it was small, enough only for a single person. She walked to the living room and saw it was pretty much a mess, not much of a wonder for there was a young man living here on his own.

"Make yourself comfortable! I'll make you some tea," Naruto spoke from the kitchen.

"Ah, don't bother yourself. I won't stay for long," but Hinata was late, Naruto appeared from the kitchen with a glass of water and a cup of tea in his hands.

"Here. It's not good to have the guest nothing to drink," Naruto grinned good-naturedly.

"Thank you," Hinata took the cup of tea and noticed that Naruto was wearing a loose shirt and short pants that reached his knees. She figured he had been sleeping when she knocked his door.

"I'm sorry I disturb your sleep," Hinata smiled apologetically.

"Ah, it's alright," Naruto waved his hand dismissively, "I have a plenty of days off"

"…I'm glad you return safely. How is the mission?"

"Sasuke didn't tell you?" fortunately Naruto didn't realize the slight change in Hinata's face, "It was one tough mission. They aren't as strong as the shinobi but they are very well-organized and prepared. They know the area better than we are. Even though the ANBU was involved together with Suna shinobi, it was still hard. At last, we made them surrender by using their tactics in return. Shikamaru is the one to be thanked for that"

"After all, Shikamaru-kun is one of our best strategists. How are the others?"

"Don't worry, they're fine. We managed to minimize the casualties. Even though so, Kiba nearly killed himself because of his recklessness"

"He's still as reckless as ever, it seems," Hinata chuckled, she knew Naruto a bit exaggerating it.

"So… what brings you here?" Naruto sipped his glass, his eyes on Hinata. Hinata was a bit startled, reminded what exactly she came here for. She put down her cup on the table and looked straight at Naruto.

"Ano… it's about Sasuke" as soon as she said it, Naruto's face became serious. He also put down his glass on the table.

"Did he hurt you?" Naruto seemed wary and worried.

"Iie, he didn't," Hinata quickly replied.

_He nearly did_, she corrected herself unconsciously. Then she realized what she thought, _unintentionally_, she added.

Naruto frowned; he noticed something was troubling her. He doubted her words somehow: Hinata wasn't the best when it came to lying.

"Really?" his voice was slightly demanding.

"Well…umm… it was my fault mostly," Hinata admitted, "…It was few days ago, when he returned from the mission"

"Yes," Naruto showed Hinata that she had his full attention.

"…I suppose he was very exhausted and soon he was asleep. I didn't want to disturb him, so I slept after I wrapped his dinner. We sleep in different rooms. In the middle of the night, I was awake… and I heard noises…" Hinata wasn't sure to continue but she saw Naruto smiled encouragingly for her to continue.

"…Coming from Sasuke's room. I... was worried, so I decided to slip inside and I…" Hinata paused, "…found him having nightmares. Or I think he was, he was sweating and breathing rapidly. I saw him hurt himself, so without a second thought I approached him… only to find myself pinned to the wall, his Sharingan activated.

"Fortunately, he recognized me, so he released his grip. Then, he told me to leave him rather harshly, in which I was obliged to do…" Hinata's fingers were playing with the edge of her clothes, her eyes were anywhere but Naruto. Naruto merely looked at her, listening intently to every word she said.

"It was- It was the first time I saw him I saw him lose control like that. His eyes- His eyes were… full of hatred and anger… I also saw pain, sadness and guilt. Naruto-kun, you're his best friend. I suppose you know what exactly happened back then. What kind of nightmares he had?"

Naruto was about to speak, but then he hesitated. His hand on his chin, he seemed to be deep in thought.

"I… I don't know, Hinata-chan. He told me not to tell anybody," Naruto spoke softly, looking at Hinata.

"Please. I'm his wife!" Hinata unconsciously put more force to her words, "Even though it's not my choice… Sasuke and I must at least try to understand one another, but I barely know him. I want to try to… That's why… please, Naruto-kun…"

Naruto was a loyal and trustworthy friend for everyone who knew him. He didn't like to betray his friends' trust, but he didn't like his friends to see his friends in pain more. Naruto knew Hinata didn't mean ill toward Sasuke, she simply… cared. It was her nature, he smiled inwardly. Somehow, Naruto was glad that his best friend was married to Hinata, not any other woman. Most women would only fall for his looks, not bothering to understand him more. Naruto knew that Hinata was different from them. Sasuke needed someone else who understood him, besides the old genin team. He looked at Hinata directly and he saw sincerity in her eyes. Naruto decided that she deserved to know.

"…I don't remember precisely how I found out about his nightmares," Naruto started, Hinata paid attention to him, "We were in a mission together, only two of us. It was an S-Class mission, despite the fact we were still chuunin. The mission was to capture a missing nin in a small village. When we arrived there…what awaited us was a gruesome sight. It seemed the missing nin with his companions asked the villagers for supplies, but the village wasn't a rich one. They weren't satisfied with they got; in the end… they killed some of the villagers, included children and old people. We were able to stop them quickly. Sasuke was the one who killed the missing nin. For a moment, I saw him looking at the dead missing nin with disgust, anger and hatred. I thought I was just imagining things, I considered Sasuke was more capable in controlling himself even after the war.

"It happened when we were our way to return to Konoha. It was my turn to stay on guard while Sasuke slept. It was peaceful for a moment, until I heard Sasuke's talking in his sleep. He was sleeping uneasily. I was worried, so I shook him, trying to wake him up. His first reaction was to fight me, his Sharingan activated. Not much different with your experience. Fortunately, he was conscious before any damage was done. I demanded for an explanation of course, but being Sasuke, he refused it and told me it was nothing. After some time, at last he opened up. Sasuke… he hasn't overcome his past completely. You know he is the only survivor of the Uchiha clan after the massacre. But he also witnessed his family's death, thanks to Itachi." Hinata's eyes widened in surprise to know Sasuke had seen his family's death.

"The memory keeps haunting him, even after he killed Itachi. The nightmares lessened though, but it always resurfaces after certain incidents that remind him of the massacre."

"The mission…" Hinata reached an understanding.

"Yes, the last mission…has triggered his memories," Naruto nodded.

"Why does he keep things to himself?"

"You know Sasuke: he's not a type of person who asks for help. He doesn't like to depend on other people. Sounds selfish huh? But that's Sasuke's way to show that he cares."

"I see…" Everything made sense now for Hinata.

"He doesn't want anyone to see that part of him because of that reason. He doesn't want anyone else involved"

"Then what should I do?" Hinata wanted to help him ease the pain but knowing Sasuke from Naruto, she doubted it would be easy.

"…Honestly, I advice you not to do anything. But you can try to help him. I believe he needs it more than he's aware of," Naruto smiled encouragingly.

"It seems you had a pretty busy week, considering there were plenty of injured shinobi," he changed the topic to much lighter one.

"Plenty is an understatement," Hinata sipped her tea as Naruto broke into a hearty laugh.

"I suppose so… How's-"

"Sakura? She's fine, a little tired though. But a good night rest will do fine," Hinata smiled knowingly.

"Glad to hear that. It seems everybody in team 7 tends to push their own limits," Naruto didn't seem to worry much.

"Indeed. By the way, Naruto-kun, thank you for the schedule list. It's very helpful"

"You're welcome. That's the only thing I can think of," he scratched his head.

"I suppose it can't be helped he always comes home late, we've never had the chance to have some dinner together"

"Can't help it, he is ANBU captain of Sixth Division after all. His presence is needed to maintain the borders' defense. It is one of the busiest divisions in ANBU, beside my division. There are less day offs than ordinary shinobi. He has breakfast at home, doesn't he?"

"Well, yes. At least he does." Naruto slightly twitched his eyebrow to Hinata's answer. Hinata would like to talk more with Naruto but didn't feel like talking anymore -- especially she knew Naruto was supposed to have his rest. She stood up after putting down the empty cup on the table,

"Thank you very much, Naruto-kun. You are very helpful. I must return now, so you can rest"

"Oh, no! I don't mind," Naruto followed Hinata towards the door, "You're welcome anytime. You're my friend. Anytime you need help, don't hesitate to ask"

Hinata smiled gratefully to Naruto, enough an answer for Naruto that she would do so. Hinata bowed as she excused herself to return to her home –her and_ Sasuke's_ home. Slowly the Uchiha compound appeared in sight, she had reached a decision: they had to have a talk.

I

I

I

Sasuke had just finished checking the borders and giving orders to his subordinates. He was standing on one of Konoha's watching tower, currently waiting for his vice captain to change shift. It was already late, near to midnight; most of the villagers were sleeping peacefully in their safe haven. Yet there he was: his eyes behind the mask were watching the surroundings warily without any sign of weariness despite the fact that he had returned from a mission recently. He didn't give any sign of acknowledgement as another ANBU appeared from the stairway.

"It's very peaceful out here," the falcon-masked ANBU approached his captain's side.

"It's your shift, Takamori-san," Sasuke didn't seem to be interested in having small talks.

"I'm fully aware it is, Taichou," the vice captain's tone turned more serious.

"Then I leave everything under your command. I know most of us are tired after the mission, but it doesn't mean we can let our guard down"

"Hai! Wakarimashita," Takamori straightened up and nodded in affirmative. Sasuke slightly nodded in approval then left the tower.

As Sasuke stepped his feet on the Uchiha compound, he took off his mask. He chose to take his time walking in the empty streets. It was totally dark and quiet. Years ago when the Uchihas were still alive, Sasuke recalled very well, the compound was never this dark and quiet even at night. Until that day… Sasuke's eyes hardened to the memory. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment to dismiss all the memories. He quickened his pace to the only house that was resided in the Uchiha compound. He noticed that the lights were still on, he frowned, Hinata couldn't possibly still awake. He slid open the door only to find he was right, Hinata was fully awake standing in front of him in her night kimono.

"I want to talk," Hinata spoke those words carefully.

"There's nothing to talk about," Sasuke replied calmly. His cold and stoic eyes met her concerned eyes, making her momentarily unnerved. But Hinata had gone this far, she wasn't about to step back.

"There _is_," she spoke firmly, which surprised Sasuke. He noticed that Hinata had grown from the shy and timid girl that always stuttered in front of other people. Still, he was surprised that she didn't seem to be intimidated.

"What do you want?" Sasuke walked pass her to the dining room, Hinata followed him. Sasuke took a glass from the cupboard and was filling it with water.

"…I want to help," Hinata told him, her voice was nearly a whisper but it could be heard clearly by both of them. She looked at his husband expectantly, waiting for his reply but his face was obscured from view.

"It's none of your business," he spoke coldly.

"But Sasuke, we're married," Hinata tried to reason with Sasuke, "We're in this together. At least let me help you… I don't to see anyone hurt, I don't want to see you hurt"

"You _can't_"

"_Why_?" Hinata demanded for an explanation.

"You won't understand," at last Sasuke looked at Hinata, for the first time he let his emotions show in front of Hinata. Hinata didn't miss the look in his face, annoyance and anger.

"I can, if you let me. I know what happened"

"You don't know anything. You weren't there!" Sasuke's control seemed to be slipping away.

"I wasn't! I know that! But it doesn't mean I can't help or understand you! I know how it feels to lose someone dear for you, and to see them dying in front of you," an image of her mother lying on the bed, smiling weakly to a 5-year-old Hinata passed her mind.

"But they weren't killed by your own brother in front of you, were they?" Sasuke shot back, his voice was harsher than he intended.

"Yes, they didn't," Hinata tried to calm herself, knowing things would have gone worse this way, "But it was inevitable, we need to face it sooner or later"

"If I had been stronger, it wouldn't have happened"

"If! You were just what- 8 years old? How strong an 8-year-old could be?"

"_He_ had already mastered the Sharingan at the same age. Why couldn't I?" His eyes looked at Hinata angrily, she was a bit taken aback to the display of emotion. She noticed at the mention of his brother his temper started to flare.

"Both of you are different person. What has happened in the past can't be changed, Sasuke." Hinata saw Sasuke calmed a bit yet only annoyance changed into guilt.

"That's a lie!"

"There's no use in blaming yourself! You need to face it Sasuke!" Her fatigue was catching up to her, after all those nights without sleep had influenced her. She could barely compose herself and think clearly.

"I'm facing it!" It seemed Sasuke's was losing his patience.

"No, you're not! You're running away from it!" Hinata was also in the edge of losing hers.

"What? I'm running away?" Sasuke gave her an incredulous look.

"Yes you are. Instead facing the fact that they're gone, you keep on blaming yourself! Dwelling in the past! You haven't let them go. Even after you achieved your goal!"

Then Hinata heard a noise of glass collided to the wall, shattered into pieces. Sasuke had thrown his glass of water to the wall; Hinata was completely surprised with his action. Her eyes flicked nervously to her husband's figure. His head bent slightly, making his bangs covering his eyes. Hinata didn't have a chance to decipher Sasuke's thoughts as he turned his back on her sharply, leaving her stunned in her place.

Hinata's hand clutched her chest. She felt her heart beating rapidly in surprise and… fear. For a moment, she was afraid of her husband. She knew she had passed a line she shouldn't cross, but she couldn't help it. Sasuke needed to get over it and she truly wanted to help him. But she couldn't do anything if he didn't want to. She closed her eyes; sadness was evident in her face. She hugged herself tightly, she felt utterly lost.

* * *

Author's Note: Honestly, I'm not really satisfied with this chapter. I did this pretty much in a hurry, some time later I'll edit this chapter. I hope I don't disappoint you, especially at their quarrel part. Both of them are calm and composed type, so I thought their quarrel won't be too violent. Somehow I enjoy doing it, weird me… Oh well, poor Hinata, she just wanted to help but Sasuke blew her off. Sasuke truly needs to get over the past. Tsk tsk tsk…

Responses:

Toet – You're my first anonymous reviewer! Welcome! Hmmm, NaruSaku? Probably, if you don't mind with the pairing.

Lems – Thank you! I'm honored! You're right, he had dreamt of THE night. Well shown? Really? Great! Because I'm afraid it wasn't. I hope I won't disappoint you until the story ends.

Ah-choo – Oops, sorry…-grins and scratches head sheepishly- Because I thought you'll understand since it was pretty common Japanese words. Here's the list of words, I'll often use in this story.

Ohayo (gozaimasu) – Good morning

Ja (ne) – See you later

Sayonara – Goodbye

Oyasuminasai – Good night/Have a good night sleep or something like that

Itadakimasu – Thank you for the food

Arigato (gozaimasu) – Thank you (very much)

Tadaima – I'm home

Okaeri – Welcome home (in response of Tadaima)

Daijobu (desuka) – I'm alright or Are you alright? (depends of the usage)

Minna-san – everybody (addressing people politely)

Odaijini – Take care of yourself

Wakatta/Wakatteiru/Wakarimashita – I understand/Understood

Kiyoskete (ne) – Be careful/Take care ('ne' is used as punctuation like 'right?')

Hontou ni – Really?

Gomennasai – I'm sorry

I'll probably add the list more in the future, but that's all you need to know. It's not difficult, believe me 

Fractured wings 01 – Hehe, it doesn't sound catchy right? But it represents the story a whole lot. Don't worry, they're going to develop some feelings to each other… You'll find out in the next chapter! XDD

Rin-chan – Thank you  Could you tell which part that didn't make sense? So I can fix them better? And not to repeat it all over to make the readers confused.

shadowprincess8959 – Wow, usually I'm the one who recommend stories to people. o-O someone truly recommended me? You gotta be kidding

And to others who reviewed: mUcHaChAnGiStAriRaY (You sound like another KakaKure fan, glad you like the couple-cheers!), chinadoll27, happykid (Did you post 2 reviews? Well, that's why I cut the story that part :D Making you wonder… Yay for SasuHina!), magerm, xxMizukixx, YumYum-Chan, kenshinlover2002 (Now, you've found out), firewindgurl, and wolf-enzeru (Thank you everybody!)


	6. Of Understanding

Hello, my faithful readers! -What was that supposed to mean?- Oh, anyway, sorry for being a little late in the update. My only beta was sick so the usual update in Saturdays was late. I must say I was amazed with the last chapter's reviews, 22 reviews! Wow, for the first time it reached 20s. It was so nice of you. BTW, I have something to ask, I'm fully aware of my writing capabilities and I want to know how do you find my English? Good, average, bad? If you do think it is bad, please become my beta! You're very well welcomed. Since SHaPbY, the only beta I have was also Indonesian so probably she didn't find many mistakes. And wee… I'm bad in describing things or scenes… Need help here!

I'm tired of writing disclaimers… oh well, we jump that one since all of us know this is merely a fanfiction written only _from_ us, _by_ us and _for_ us. Just enjoy the story!

* * *

**What Are We?**

**Of Understanding**

Sakura felt very refreshed after having enough sleep. She opened her room's window to let the sunlight and outside air fill her room. She stretched herself as she filled her lungs with fresh air. She leaned to the windowsill and saw it was a beautiful day today, despite the fact that yesterday many shinobi returned with injuries from the mission.

Her thoughts unconsciously drifted to her former teammate, a certain blonde who still aimed to achieve his childhood dream to become Hokage. When the image of him appeared, Sakura instinctively thwacked her head to get rid of him.

_Damn, it must be Ino getting to me_

Sakura couldn't help but to blush as she remembered Ino teasing her about her having a crush toward Naruto. She must admit that Naruto had grown a lot in stature and mind, even though some things remained the same. She had given up her crush to Sasuke long time ago and had considered Naruto as a reliable friend and teammate. She also knew that Naruto's crush to her had faded with time. She admired him, his courage, strength and kindness, and unbeknownst to her, the admiration had changed. She shook her head to dismiss her thoughts, she decided to pay some visit to Naruto's apartment after she visited Hinata. Her face turned into a frown when she remembered about her best friend, she noticed Hinata acted pretty strange yesterday. It seemed as if she was about to ask her something, but restrained from doing so.

She would need to check on Hinata later.

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In the instant Hinata woke up, she already knew that Sasuke wouldn't have his breakfast at home. She headed to the dining room and saw what happened yesterday wasn't a dream. On the wall there was a drying smudge and there were shards of glass scattered on the floor. She sighed sadly, she could remember their quarrel as clear as today. She had made things worse, and she wasn't sure if she could mend it. She took out a broom from the closet and started cleaning wordlessly.

Hinata had cleaned all the mess in short time but she couldn't do much to the smudge on the wall other than letting it disappear by time. Before she moved after cleaning, she heard the door being knocked. For a moment she couldn't believe that there was a guest this early, but she greeted the guest nonetheless, only to find Sakura smiling warmly to her.

"Ohayo, Hinata!"

"Ohayo, Sakura. What brings you here this early?" Hinata was surprised yet pleased with her best friend's arrival, her mood quickly changed. But Sakura, being an attentive person she was, noticed Hinata's previous mood before it changed.

"I'm in the mood of having some early conversation and I thought of visiting both of you. Where's Sasuke?" Sakura tried to sense Sasuke's presence in the house.

"Oh, he's still training, I suppose," Hinata forced a smile as Sakura mentioned Sasuke.

Sakura twitched an eyebrow slightly, it was past 7 and Sasuke was supposed to have finished his morning training.

"Come in. I'm sorry for what I'm wearing, I've just woken up," Hinata invited Sakura inside the house.

"Oh, it's my mistake for coming too early," Sakura just realized Hinata was still in her night kimono. She mentally slapped herself, it was supposed to be their day off, Hinata would like to have her rest for sure.

"Iie, I woke up before you arrived," Hinata seemed to read Sakura's mind. Hinata had led her to the dining room instead of the living room, since they were friends.

"Do you mind if I take a bath first?" Hinata asked, after presenting a glass of water for Sakura.

"No, of course I don't," Sakura waved her hand to show her consent.

"Okay," Hinata smiled and she disappeared to her room.

Sakura took her time waiting for Hinata by examining her surroundings. She felt suspicious towards Hinata's gesture, it seemed there was something troubling her. She noticed a smudge on the wall that she didn't see in her last visit here. She approached it and found it was damp and wet while the other part of the wall seemed fine. Her mind was working for possibilities and one of the possibilities making her checked the rubbish bin. She found what she feared of, shards of broken glass.

Hinata who was already dressed in casual clothes found Sakura looking at the rubbish bin. Her eyes widened in apprehension, she knew how sharp Sakura could be. Sakura sensed her presence, she looked straight at Hinata.

"Hinata… we need to talk about this over breakfast," her voice demanding an explanation. Hinata knew what exactly the look Sakura gave her meant, and she knew she couldn't avoid it.

That's how Hinata and Sakura ended in a comfortable coffee shop for a breakfast and a good conversation, or a thorough explanation from Hinata. They had seated themselves far to the corner, so there would be no one interfering or eavesdropping on their conversation.

All the time, Hinata avoided looking straight at Sakura and she seemed to find her hands on her lap interesting. While Sakura in the other hand, looking at her inquisitively.

"So… what happened?" Sakura started. Knowing that she couldn't lie to Sakura, Hinata decided to speak.

"Thank you for your concern, Sakura. But this is my problem, and I need to solve it by myself," Hinata told her gently.

"I know but when it involves throwing a glass of water to the wall until it broke, it becomes mine," Sakura eyed the Hyuuga heiress carefully, "I doubt it was you who did it, I know how patient you are. My conclusions are that you and Sasuke had a fight and that involves he doing _that_"

Sakura's conclusion was frighteningly accurate, to Hinata's dismay. Hinata knew she could trust her pink-haired friend but she didn't feel it was right to tell her about it. Sakura saw her uncertainty, she placed a comforting hand on Hinata's hand.

"I won't tell anybody, I promise. I just want to help. I don't want to see you hurt. I'm Sasuke's teammate, probably I can give you some good advice"

Hinata looked at Sakura gratefully and decided to tell her about their quarrel.

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Cracking noises could be heard coming from team 7's usual training spot. The noises were constant and getting louder every second. The noises came in abrupt halt with a loud cracking noise. A lone figure could be seen in the middle of the clearing, in front of him there was a training log that was broken in half. The figure was drenched in sweat, his breathing was rather unsteady and his fists were injured from punching the log with bare hands.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to have breakfast at home?" suddenly a voice appeared from nowhere. The figure's posture turned rigid for a moment, and within seconds, he was able to calm and compose himself.

"It's the same with you, Naruto," he spoke without looking as another person appeared behind him.

"I've just had some ramen from the Ichiraku and I was thinking of some small exercise," Naruto approached his friend calmly, looking at the broken log, "Why are you beating up the poor log? Is there anything I should know about?"

"Nothing," Sasuke spoke coldly as he turned to leave his teammate. Naruto knew well what exactly it meant.

"Is this related to Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked carefully and he noticed Sasuke stopped when he mentioned her. There was only silence, until Sasuke broke it,

"Why did you tell her?" Naruto could hear resentment in his best friend's voice.

"She deserves to know. She's your wife," Naruto spoke matter-of-factly.

"It doesn't matter," Sasuke turned around to face Naruto, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"It does. What exactly did she say to you?" Naruto didn't seem affected by his friend's unfriendly gaze.

"She told me I was running away"

"Aren't you?" Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as he heard Naruto's answer, "So you blew her off?" Naruto could easily predict what happened between them, he knew Sasuke all too well.

"I'm _not_ running away and I'm _not_ dwelling in the past," Sasuke spoke rather harshly.

"Really? Then why you keep saying that? Unless you know it is true, and you're just trying to convince yourself otherwise"

"So you're telling me-"

"Yes," Naruto spoke firmly, "At first, I didn't think so but seeing you could hardly forget the past, I think you are. And Hinata has noticed it much quicker than I did"

"But it doesn't mean you can tell her about it!"

"Changing the topic, aren't you? Well… for your information, the last time I checked, she is _your_ wife. Despite the fact that she was forced into this marriage, she tries to understand you. She _cares_ for you and from what I see, you just blew her off just because she wanted to help you." Naruto seemed to lose his temper, suddenly he grabbed Sasuke by his collar.

"Let me tell you this clearly. _Stop_ dwelling in the past and _stop_ swallowing yourself in self-pity. If you want to keep doing that, _fine_. But don't involve others, especially Hinata-chan. I thought you were better than this Sasuke, I was wrong," Naruto looked at him, anger and disappointment was evident in his face. He released his grip on Sasuke roughly.

"You're lucky that you're my best friend. If other people found out about this, especially a certain Hyuuga, and her teammates, I doubt you would be still alive and breathing. Only one advice from me, apologize to Hinata-chan. I don't care how, just figure it out on your own." Without a word, Naruto turned his back on Sasuke, leaving him pondering. Sasuke could hear from a distance Naruto muttering to himself,

"…I wonder who the idiot is now"

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"WHAT!" Sakura slammed her hands on the table, fortunately she wasn't using any chakra or the table would be shattered into pieces, "He did WHAT?"

Hinata could feel other visitors' eyes on them as they looked at the source of the loud voice.

"Sakura… Calm down… Here, take a drink," Hinata gave her still fuming friend a glass of water that Sakura drank in a gulp. At last Sakura seemed to calm down, though Hinata could see that her anger hadn't fully dissipated.

"How can you be so patient?" Sakura twitched her eyebrow in annoyance.

"Well, it's no use if both of us lose our patience… at least one of us has to be clear- minded"

"True. But there's a limit for being patient, Hinata," Sakura leaned on her left hand while her other hand tapped the table impatiently.

"…Well-"

"Don't ever think of defending Sasuke. I understand him pretty well, and I do know that it is a pretty sensitive topic about his family. But it doesn't mean that he can yell at you or break things just because of that. Sheesh, and I thought Sasuke was the best in controlling his emotions. Well… I suppose we all have our limits…"

Hinata kept silence all the time Sakura spoke, she knew what Sakura said was true. When she decided to speak about it she knew that Sasuke's reaction wouldn't be pleasant, but she didn't expect to be that violent. It was partly her fault, they barely knew each other then she just interfered in his personal matters. Who wouldn't be mad?

Hinata sighed in remorse, it didn't go unnoticed by Sakura. Sakura's gaze softened,

"It's going to be okay, Hinata"

"I shouldn't have just mentioned about it"

"…But there's nothing you can do about it. What's done is done. But don't try to apologize to him," Sakura warned, "He _must_ apologize first"

Hinata wasn't so sure about that, knowing so many men in her life that included her teammates, her cousin, and her father, she doubted he would do that. Especially, he was the cold, and stoic Uchiha Sasuke. If he did that, the world probably was going to an end.

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Hinata separated with Sakura to buy some groceries since she was ran of supply in the house. For Hinata, it was much refreshing than shopping -most women in the village would disagree with her. It distracted her thoughts completely as she went through to the list of groceries she needed, picking the best fruits and vegetables.

Hence when Hinata returned home, she nearly dropped all of her groceries to the floor as she found Sasuke sitting in the dining room. His dark deep and cold eyes bore through her warm milky white eyes. There was so much difference between them just from their eyes.

"…Sa-Sasuke, you're home early," Hinata managed to speak, trying to avoid his gaze.

"Ah." One-word answer. Silence. It was an awkward silence, both of them felt uncomfortable with each other's presence since yesterday's incident. To Hinata's surprise, Sasuke was the one who broke the silence.

"Are you busy?"

"…Umm… Well, no," Hinata answered without trying to hide her surprise.

"Then… I would like to show you something," Sasuke stood up from his seat and headed to outside, motioning Hinata to follow him. Hinata quickly put down her groceries, leaving them on the floor unorganized. Sasuke had slowed his pace so Hinata could catch up, when she did, they were walking side by side. Hinata kept her gaze everywhere but Sasuke, though there were times when she took a glance at her husband. She couldn't decipher what exactly he was thinking or where they were heading. It seemed Sasuke had shut himself completely, not letting any of his emotions show.

After a good distance of walking, Sasuke led her to a complex. Hinata recognized in an instant where they were, they were in the Uchiha cemetery ground. She looked at Sasuke, trying to catch a glimpse of his reason why he took her here. Yet Sasuke didn't seem to bother, he kept walking and leading her to the deeper side of the cemetery. Until he stopped in front of two gravestone that was placed in the middle of the cemetery under a huge tree and much bigger than average. Hinata hesitated for a moment, slowly she approached Sasuke's side and had a clear view of whose gravestones it was.

Uchiha Fugaku… and Uchiha Mikoto. The late leader of Uchiha clan and his wife… Sasuke's parents.

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise, she didn't expect this at all. She glanced toward Sasuke nervously who had his eyes attached on the gravestones. Hinata noticed his gaze softened when he looked at his mother's gravestone. It was the first time Hinata saw other emotion besides anger, hatred and pain. Hinata smiled sadly and looked at Mikoto's gravestone, Sasuke loved his mother. Probably as much as she loved her late mother. Hinata let silence envelop them, she knew Sasuke needed the silence.

"…I'm sorry," suddenly Sasuke spoke, his voice was barely audible but Hinata could hear it clearly in the silence. Hinata couldn't believe her ears, she had just dismissed the possibility of Sasuke apologized first, yet there he was, apologizing to her. Hinata mentally slapped herself, trying to convince herself it wasn't a dream or a genjutsu.

"I didn't mean to yell at you," Sasuke continued, his eyes was still on the gravestone, "I shouldn't have lost my temper"

"Ah, it's my fault too. I shouldn't have spoken like that, especially I know you don't like to talk about it," Hinata didn't want Sasuke to put all the blame to himself because of the quarrel.

"Iie, it's mine. You were right." Hinata looked at Sasuke in astonishment, "I've been thinking about your words…And I realized why I was angry back then. It was because you were right about everything.

"That I'm running away from reality, dwelling in the past. I… haven't let them go. It only took one night to change everything, to lose everything"

Hinata could sense pain and sadness in his voice, she knew how hard it was to lose everything that you got. She could understand why Sasuke was so obsessed in avenging his clan, and striving for power. She probably would have done the same if she had been in his place. It amazed her that he was able to return to the right path after taking the wrong one and return to Konoha. It wasn't an easy task, especially he had been considered as a traitor, as a missing nin. She admired him for that, and she was sure that he would gain the trust from the village once again. Hinata picked some wild flowers that grew under the tree. She knelt in front of the gravestones and laid the flowers.

"…I know how hard and painful it is for you. I don't know if I'm in your place, I can be as strong as you are. It's always hard to accept that the ones we love leave us forever. But we need to remember that eventually all of us are going to die, there's no exception. We just don't know how and when," Hinata stood up and looked at Sasuke,

"Letting them go isn't the same with forgetting them. People are truly dead when they are forgotten. They will keep on living as long as we remember them and keep them in our hearts. People come and go in our lives without our consent. All we can do is to hold on to what we've got before everything's too late. There are people who care for you, Sasuke. And I know you have people that you care. Which one is more important?"

Sasuke seemed a little taken aback with her question, he knew what exactly she meant. Which one was more important? The living or the dead? The past or the present? He looked at his parents' last resting place, he knew the answer already.

"The present…"

Then something unexpected happened, Sasuke smiled. It wasn't a frown. It wasn't a smirk. It was a small smile, a sincere one. Hinata returned the smile, knowing she had eased his pain.

"Thank you," Sasuke spoke gratefully.

"Anytime"

They returned their gaze on the gravestones and silence reigned once again. This time, the silence that surrounded them no longer awkward, instead… it was peaceful and comfortable silence.

* * *

Author's Note: There you go! It's the first chapter that doesn't start with Hinata, so you wouldn't get bored. I hope this chapter contains enough SasuHina interaction. My friend thought that this chapter was romantic, and I looked like O-o huh? I don't intend to be like one, honestly. Really? Oh well, but things just getting started. Hinata and Sasuke would move from strangers to friends. If you have suggestion how the story goes or constructive critic, please drop some reviews. And be gentle! XDD 

Responses:

Lems – Wow, you're so quick in giving review. Well, we shouldn't easily be satisfied right? So we could develop better and to satisfy the readers, which means… you : ) Hinata surprised you? Well, six years can do much to a person, Hinata dared more to speak her thoughts, even though not to all people.

mUcHaChAnGiStAriRaY – Thank you, it seems everybody likes the quarrel part ne? XDD Everyone's patience has limit and Hinata isn't an exception ; )

Fractured wings 01 – We both love this Hinata it seems : ) Romance… hmm, probably right after Sasuke and Hinata start to feel comfortable in each other's presence and I can't tell you when…'cause I really don't know! XDD I don't plan everything out, I hope you understand.

Ah-choo – Don't. Don't feel dumb just because you don't understand. I suppose you're not the only one, but you're the only one who dares to ask and that takes a lot. Thanks for thinking it were a good timing.

wolf-enzeru – That's a lot of capital words you used there. I'm trying, does it fulfill your expectation?

maya - You had yourself on the edge of the chair? I hope you didn't fall because of it : )

kenshinlover2002 – You're totally right! A perfect score for kenshinlover2002! It will be totally hard for Sasuke to completely open up to Hinata.

JayHun – You really think so? –teary eyed- Thank you…

YumYum-Chan – Go Hinata Go Go! For your expectation…Well, you'll see… Just keep reading

Makokam – Thanks! Hehehe, you must itch a lot when you saw how many mistakes I made. I'm an Indonesian and the only way I learnt English was from courses. Would you like to be my beta then? Or at least correct the mistakes you found and send it to me? I'd be very very thankful.

magerm – Hmm, what do you suggest to make the story more interesting? The story interesting or not varies from everyone's judgment.

And for others who also reviewed: Hiratai, TigerWolf, hopeless-flame, Anime/Manga lubber, happykid, chinadoll27, Hitomi No Ryu, newblue, hatami, Stephanie, and Nanthakon.


	7. Of Strength

Thank you for keeping up with me and my story! I've got 100+ reviews! That's a record…-cries in joy- ThankYouThankYouThankYou. I always dread the time when I should post new chapter… I'm very very afraid that I might disappoint you… Especially sometimes I get confused what should I do the next chapter, and next and next chapter. Well… that's why your suggestions are needed badly. Let's see what you think of this (weird) chapter. Standard disclaimer applies!

* * *

**What Are We?**

**Of Strength**

Days had gone better since that day, since their visit to Sasuke's parents' grave. Sasuke seemed a bit less tense around her and they had more conversations than before. Though it was concerning simple things such as the food, weather, mission, training and sometimes about people and all of those conversations was rather short. But for Hinata, it was much of an improvement for both of them. She knew it would need a long time until he completely trusted her and opened up. She didn't really mind, knowing how long and hard for Kurenai and Kakashi until they had built a strong relationship. For now, she was rather content in their strange relationship…

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Hinata had just returned from an A-class mission together with Sakura who didn't stop bugging her about Sasuke along the mission. She had told Sakura everything that happened that day, Sakura was her best friend after all. Yet, Sakura didn't seem convinced that Sasuke actually apologized first. Sakura's reaction when she heard about it was priceless. From Sakura, she knew that Sasuke seldom apologized first and directly. She didn't blame Sakura for that, she thought much the same with her until Sasuke truly did it.

She saw someone was standing in front of the house. It was a young woman. She had average height, a little shorter than her. Her dark hair locks falling over her shoulder. She was wearing a simple black kimono that Hinata could easily recognize.

"Hanabi!" Hinata approached the newcomer.

"Nee-san!" It was indeed Hanabi, Hinata's younger sister. She had grown into an attractive young woman. While Hinata resembled their mother, Hanabi resembled their father more. They seemed different in many ways, yet in other ways they were alike.

"How long have you been waiting?" Hinata asked after hugging her youngest sister tightly. She was pleased to see Hanabi. Since her marriage, her visit to the Hyuuga Manor lessened, making her seldom meet her father and sister.

"Not for long," Hanabi seemed equally pleased with her. She missed her sister very much. Hinata wasn't only a sister where she could share everything but also a mother figure that she didn't have since their mother died when she was young. That's why she was one of the people who minded about the arranged marriage with the Uchiha heir, because she knew that her sister didn't love him.

"Come in," Hinata slid the door open to invite her in. As Hanabi stepped her feet on the house, her eyes quickly examined her surroundings. It was her first time to the Uchiha Manor. The house was rather cold and quiet, not to forget the fact that only two people inhabited it. She could feel some of Hinata's touch in the house, making the house rather warm and comfortable, though the coldness still could be felt. Hinata led her to the dining room and told her to sit.

"It's been a while. How are you?" Hinata asked as she poured her infamous brewed tea into their cups.

"I'm fine, Nee-san. I've just had my first solo mission," Hanabi took the cup Hinata offered gratefully. Hinata sat across her sister, her face seemed surprised yet delighted at the same time.

"Really? Let me guess, B-class?"

"Yep and it went well," Hanabi smiled.

"Great! I'm so proud of you. How did otou-sama react?"

"Well, you know otou-sama best," Hanabi shrugged it off lightly. Her sister and father's compliment meant a lot for her and she couldn't help to feel proud inside. Hanabi leaned back on her chair, once again her eyes wander.

"So… how about you, Nee-san?" Hanabi at last managed to ask the question she had wanted to ask, Hinata caught a hint of concern in her voice. A smile tugged her lips, her sister was always the more straightforward one,

"I'm fine, there's nothing to worry about"

"Honto?" Hanabi asked skeptically.

"_Really_, just a little problem in the beginning, which is normal for both of us. Considering that we barely know each other," Hinata calmly sipped her cup of tea. Hanabi didn't really buy it and Hinata could easily notice it.

"I mean it, Hanabi," Hinata put more force in her voice and her eyes were locked with her sister's. Hanabi knew that it was no use to force her sister to say otherwise. Her sister was no longer that shy and self-doubting Hinata when Hanabi could put a pleading puppy dog eyes so her sister would soften. Hanabi let out a silent sigh.

"Neji-nii-san is also worried about you"

"I know, but he needs to understand, as much as you do. Sasuke is a good person despite his appearances"

"Still I don't trust him," Hanabi spoke her thoughts loudly. Hinata could imagine those exact words were spoken by his cousin. Both of them shared the same dislike toward the last Uchiha, especially since what happened eight years ago. The same doubt that most of the people had to Sasuke. It was understandable, but it seemed unfair. Sasuke had gone through so much pain, he didn't deserve the cold treatment. Everyone deserved a second chance, Sasuke wasn't an exception. Sasuke wasn't that bad, Naruto and Sakura had seen it, and now she had. But she kept her thoughts to herself, knowing that people wouldn't believe that. Hinata heard the front door slid open and sensed who it was. Sasuke appeared from the hallway, Hinata stood up to greet him,

"Okaeri"

Sasuke merely nodded, he noticed someone else's company in the house. Hanabi looked at him coldly, not bothering to stand up and greet him as a good guest supposed to do, especially he was her brother-in-law. Hinata had a disapproved (or disapproval?) look in her face, she quickly took the initiative to introduce her sister,

"This is my younger sister, Hanabi. She's a chuunin"

"I've heard about you," Sasuke spoke in his usual tone, not giving anything.

"So have I," Hanabi replied rather harshly. She stood up, her eyes were fixed on Sasuke. She didn't bother to hide her dislike and doubt. She returned her gaze to Hinata, then she pulled out a scroll from the sleeve of her kimono and handed it to Hinata.

"What's this?" Hinata asked.

"Tonight there's going to be a family dinner in Hyuuga Manor. Both of you are asked for your presence as the successor the clan," Hanabi spoke in formal tone, "Dewa, I'm leaving"

Hanabi bowed slightly to excuse herself and turned around to leave. Hinata who was surprised with her attitude, quickly grabbed Hanabi's wrist.

"Hanabi, what's with you?" Hinata asked in a slight angry whisper.

"I'm just worried about you, Nee-san. Is that wrong?" Hanabi gave angry and concerned look to Hinata. Hinata's gaze softened as she heard that.

"I understand, but I want you to be better than that," Hinata stroke her sister's cheek gently, "I'll see you tonight, alright?" Hinata smiled affectionately to her.

Hanabi nodded, she seemed a bit ashamed of what she did. She wasn't supposed to lose her composure like that, it was so un-Hyuuga-like. She took a deep breath and managed to regain her composure. She smiled back to her dear sister,

"See you tonight then." With those last words, Hanabi left, avoiding looking at Sasuke.

Unknown to Hinata, Sasuke was watching the Hyuuga sisters' interaction silently. He was used to with that kind of treatment, it didn't bother him. But as he saw how affectionate Hinata to her sister, he couldn't help to feel a pang of sadness… and jealousy. It reminded him of the past, where there used to be someone who did what Hinata did to him. He remembered his mother who always smiled with the same affection and comforted him. He turned his back on Hinata, not bothering to inquire further about the dinner.

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Hinata had dressed up herself in an elegant white kimono that was provided exclusively for the Hyuuga heiress. She had her hair held in a bun by a beautifully ornamented hairpin that was a gift from her mother. She stared at herself in the mirror for a long time, she never liked this kind of event. Honestly, she would like to avoid it if she could, but she knew it was one of her duty as the Hyuuga heiress. Her eyes narrowed slightly to the thought, why did she think that way?

"_Are you afraid of the clan?"_

Her former sensei's voice suddenly appeared in her mind, repeating their conversation before the marriage of the reason why Hinata didn't refuse it. The same reason why she didn't like to go to the dinner. She shook her head to dismiss the thought, she shouldn't have thought that way. She glanced at the clock, it showed 7:45, fifteen minutes to the dinner. She exited her room and went to check Sasuke whether he was already prepared.

Hinata stood in front of Sasuke's room. Even after more than a month of their marriage, they still haven't slept in the same room. Sasuke had told her about his intentions of restoring the clan and Hinata had understood it. But both of them still hesitated to do what they were supposed to do. They decided to take it slowly, until both of them, or to be more precise, until Hinata was ready. They didn't talk about it anymore, mostly because they avoided the topic.

"Sasuke, are you ready?" Hinata asked softly. Then the door slid open, revealing Sasuke clad in formal dark blue kimono with Uchiha clan symbol in his back. Hinata had informed him that since it was a formal dinner and their presence was requested as the clan successor, both of them needed to wear their formal attire. Hinata examined her husband in a glance, it was the first time she saw him in kimono other than his usual attire. She must admit, he looked handsome in it. A slight blush found its way on Hinata's cheek, but she quickly hid it from Sasuke.

"Let's go," Sasuke nodded to Hinata and led the way.

They walked to the Hyuuga Manor where the dinner was held. The moon illuminated the darkness of the night, making their walk easier. They walked in silence, their usual silence. Not awkward, nor comfortable. Sasuke used the opportunity to observe his wife from the corner of his eyes. The moonlight fell over Hinata, on her pale translucent skin and white kimono, making her seem radiant in the darkness. White seemed to suit her well, it resembled her innocence, sincerity, and kindness. So much different with him. His thoughts stopped as they approached the Hyuuga Manor.

"Here we are. Is there any question before we get in?" Hinata kindly asked.

"No, I suppose it's clear enough," Sasuke indicated that Hinata had explained clearly what to do and not to do. Hinata merely nodded in approval, and they walked side by side to the Manor. They were greeted by the servant who bowed dutifully to the clan's successor and led them to the hall where the dinner took place.

It was a formal and private dinner, Hinata could see important Hyuugas, included her family and the elders. All of them wore the traditional white kimono of the Hyuuga, making Sasuke the only one who wore dark kimono. Hiashi as the Hyuuga clan head sat at the head of the table, on his sides were two empty seats. As Hinata and Sasuke announced their presence, all the eyes of guests were on them. Hinata took the empty seat on Hiashi's right side while Sasuke took the left side. Hinata smiled briefly to Hanabi and Neji who were also invited to the dinner. Hinata could feel their examining gazes. Even after many events, she was still not used to with all of those gazes, it still made her feel uneasy. Though she was able to hide it well, and she noticed that Sasuke didn't seem intimidated with being in a room filled with Hyuugas. She silently admired his composure.

The dinner started when all of the guests had already arrived. It went smoothly without any incident. After the dessert, they started a conversation and Hinata knew, it wasn't going to be a real conversation.

"So, when are we going to expect for heirs?"

It was the question Hinata dreaded most, it was asked by one of the elders, Hyuuga Kazuki. She could see Hanabi and Neji tensed, and somehow, she had a feeling that her father too. Hinata glanced at Sasuke, wondering how to answer. Sasuke glanced at Hinata briefly and calmly replied,

"I'm afraid not before long. Both of us are pretty busy, considering my ANBU duties that require my full attention and Hinata's duties as one of Konoha's best medic nin that the Hokage trusts. Especially, the outside world situation is rather unstable since the coup d'etat in Wind country. We'll be sent in many missions as active shinobi"

Hinata was inwardly impressed with Sasuke's reply. It was the truth. It was true that they wouldn't have a child in any time in the future. One of the reasons was their duties as shinobi and the other reason was… themselves. It was the best answer, instead of telling the whole truth. She breathed a little easier but not letting her guard down because these questions would not stop until the dinner ended. Hinata and Sasuke managed to go through it all pretty well, until…

"You're too gentle for your own good, Hinata-sama," another elder spoke whom Hinata recognized as one of the influential elders, Hyuuga Shiruba. It was widely known that he had the sharpest tongue in the clan, he had no mercy when he found things that didn't seem fitting in his eyes. In this case, it was Hinata's gentle demeanor. Hinata was rather used to with it, simply accepting it as a reminder for her to be better.

"You resemble your mother too much," Hinata perked up when she heard her mother being mentioned, Shiruba continued nonchalantly, "I must admit, she was a beauty and a strong kunoichi. But she wasn't the best in raising a Hyuuga heiress, she was too soft"

Hinata widened slightly in surprise, in the corner of her eye, she could see Hanabi's face turned into a scowl. She quickly slipped a hand on her sister's hand under the table to calm her down.

"You shouldn't have left Hinata-sama under Hoshino's care, Hiashi-sama. She became too weak for a Hyuuga. See Hanabi-sama, it was a good thing that she never remembered her mother and Hinata-sama after her passing. It's a good thing really-"

Hinata couldn't take it anymore. She knew her mother wasn't originally from Main House, but it didn't mean she could be treated without respect that way.

"Shiruba-san," the strength in her voice made all the attention on Hinata, "Are you fully aware that the one you're speaking of is my mother? I'm very sorry if I disappoint you. However, if you must insult me, then throw them all to me, _only_ to me. Do not bring my mother. Unless you don't have any courage to speak directly to me"

Shiruba was totally taken aback with Hinata's reaction. Everyone could feel her controlled anger and disapproval. All the people in the room was surprised to see the always kind and patient Hinata lost her patience, it was a rare sight to see her angry. But Shiruba unconsciously –though, Hinata doubted that- had overstepped his boundaries that Hinata couldn't tolerate by mentioning her mother, Hyuuga Hoshino that way. Hiashi promptly took an action before it became worse,

"I appreciate your concern, Shiruba-san but incase you forget, the one you were talking about is my wife and the mother of the Hyuuga heiress. She must be treated with respect, you should've known better. I know you well, and I can understand your words. But this time, you've overstepped your boundaries. I shall give you punishment for your insolence"

Shiruba paled to hear that, his demeanor quickly changed into fear as Hiashi gave him a stern look. In the inside, Hiashi was not much different than Hinata, he couldn't accept his late wife to be treated that way. He could understand Hinata's anger, he knew how close she was to her mother but she should be able to compose herself better.

"Hinata, you should compose yourself better. You're not supposed to lose your composure. I expect better from you"

"Hai, Otou-sama," Hinata merely nodded in submission. She avoided other people's gaze, especially Sasuke. Hanabi gave her sister a concerned look.

I

I

I

Two figures could be seen walking in the darkness, walking slowly in the empty streets. The moon was hidden behind dark clouds, the only source of light came from street lamps. After the incident, Hiashi dismissed the dinner. All the way from the Hyuuga Manor, Hinata kept her gaze everywhere but Sasuke. He had kept cold and stoic face, seemed unaffected with the little incident to Hinata's relief. But she knew it must have left some kind of impression, and Hinata was afraid it wasn't a good impression. Her feelings was once again proven right, she shouldn't have come to the dinner. They kept on walking, no words were exchanged until Hinata decided to break the silence.

"I'm sorry for what happened," Hinata spoke without looking at Sasuke.

"What for?" Sasuke glanced at Hinata briefly.

"…For my sudden outburst… I shouldn't have done that"

"No, what you did is understandable." His answer surprised Hinata, making her turn to look at him. He looked at her calmly, she could catch a glimpse of sincerity in his eyes.

"Everyone's patience has limit. No one should treat you or your mother like that, you deserve to be angry," he continued.

"Thank you," Hinata smiled gratefully.

"…Mind to explain?" Sasuke was a little intrigued with the clan's treatment toward Hinata, their own heiress and her mother. Hinata examined his face carefully, and felt it was no harm in telling him. Besides, he was her _husband_, he deserved to know. Hinata took a deep breath and started,

"I suppose you're fully aware with the purpose for dividing the clan into Main and Branch House"

"Yes," Sasuke had been told by Kakashi before.

"…and the curse seal?" Hinata saw Sasuke nodded slightly, "It is to show Main House's superiority than Branch House. Even though so, there are always stronger Hyuuga from the Branch, like Neji-kun. Before Neji-kun, there is someone else who was considered the strongest Hyuuga, even the Main admitted that. He was Hyuuga Sorata. Fearing of his strength and influence, the elders decided to do drastic measures so he wouldn't surpass them by betrothing the clan heir to his daughter, Hoshino." Sasuke's eyes widened slightly in realization, Hinata's mother's name was Hoshino.

"She was my mother," Hinata confirmed his thoughts, "My grandfather, Sorata agreed reluctantly, one of his considerations was to avoid the branding of the seal to my mother. Even after the marriage, mother's freedom was limited, she wasn't able to fulfill her duty as an active kunoichi. Okaa-san… was different. She was always sincere with her thoughts and feelings while the Hyuuga must hide their emotions. Okaa-san was kind, gentle and caring, those feelings were considered as a weakness to the clan. I was very close to my mother," Hinata had a distant look in her eyes.

"She died not long after Hanabi was born. After my mother's death… it felt like my whole crumbled. Okaa-san was always by my side, giving me comfort and support. She was my pillar of strength. I lost my confidence, especially the clan deemed me weak and worthless every single day for resembling my mother so much"

Sasuke remembered Hinata during his genin days, she was shy, timid and always stuttering with a habit of fidgeting her fingers in nervousness. From what he heard from Naruto, Hinata managed to find her confidence in a fight with Neji who nearly killed her.

"You're no longer that Hinata," Sasuke pointed out. He found similarity with Hinata, both of them had felt the feeling of loss.

"Indeed, but the clan always find mistakes. In their eyes, I never fulfill their expectation… just because I resemble my mother," it was the first time Hinata ever admitted that to anybody. She hadn't told anybody about it, not to Neji whom she considered as her brother, not even to Kurenai whom she considered as her mother. Her voice was bitter as she said that and she restrained the urge to cry, "…I don't really hate clan, but sometimes… I wish I weren't born in any clan"

Sasuke listened silently to everything Hinata said. He had never known how hard it was for Hinata. She went through all the pain and suffering only to be forced into a marriage she didn't want. And it was partly his fault.

"Then show me," Sasuke looked straight at Hinata, "That they're wrong"

"W-What do you mean?" Hinata frowned in confusion.

"Let's spar tomorrow" That totally rendered Hinata speechless.

I

I

I

The next morning, Hinata woke earlier, intending to take Sasuke's invitation for a spar. She wore her usual attire for combat, it suited her combat style. She tied her hair in a loose ponytail. (Hinata tied her hair in a bun while she was in the hospital, braided her hair in the house, while for missions she tied her hair in ponytail… well, it's just the authoress being silly)

When Hinata walked out from her room she found Sasuke had been waiting for her. Without a word, Sasuke led her to Uchiha training ground.

The training ground was wider than ordinary training ground. The training ground was surrounded by trees and bushes, in one side there were targets for targeting practice and in other side there were training logs. She noticed some of them were battered or broken. It seemed Sasuke usually trained by himself here. Sasuke stood in the middle of the clearing, taking position opposite Hinata. Hinata followed suit.

"It's going to be an all-taijutsu fight. No chakra and tools used. Though doujutsu is allowed," Sasuke explained coldly. Before Hinata was ready, Sasuke disappeared from her sight. Suddenly he appeared in front of him, launching a kick that was directed to her left side. Hinata managed to deflect his kick using her arm out of reflex. All of her thoughts and nervousness gone in an instant. Sasuke once again disappeared from her sight and that time, she knew the spar was started and Sasuke wasn't going to make it easy. She raised her guard and activated her Byakugan.

If Sasuke said he wasn't impressed, it would be a lie. Sparring against Hinata who was using the Byakugan wasn't easy without using the Sharingan. He had fought a lot of opponent, each with different combat style. He had fought kunoichis and Hyuugas, but Hinata prove herself different with them. Even though she was considered as strong as Sakura whom he knew her skills well, Hinata was much stronger in taijutsu. Probably because she was a Hyuuga and she wasn't afraid for close combat. Sakura rather avoided close combat even though her skill with chakra was pretty useful. Hinata's speed was close to him and she attacked with such grace and accuracy he had never seen before. Different with Neji's aggressive attacks, her attacks were clean and efficient.

After half an hour of sparring, they barely managed to get a clean strike to each other. Sasuke's lips twitched slightly in amusement, Hinata was strong. Sasuke gave her a sweeping kick, making her lose her balance and that time he found an opening. Before Hinata was able to regain her balance Sasuke was already behind her. He twisted her arm behind her back by one hand while the other hand hovering on a certain point on her neck that would rendered her unconscious. Hinata was fully aware of that,

"I lost"

Sasuke released his grip on Hinata and deactivated his Sharingan. Meanwhile Hinata tended her arm, it seemed to her Sasuke twisted her arm hard, but not enough to hurt her. It was one tough spar, Sasuke took the spar rather seriously. It was a little hard for Hinata to keep up with him. But she knew in a real fight, she wouldn't stand a chance to him. He was an ANBU, trained to kill and considered one of the strongest shinobi of Konoha.

"You did well." Hinata didn't expect to hear that from Sasuke among all people.

"Yeah, but in real fight, it'll be much difficult," Hinata admitted and seated herself under a tree. Sasuke followed and leaned his back on the same tree beside Hinata.

"Don't compare yourself to me," Sasuke crossed his arm, "You're strong, Hinata. And you still can be stronger"

"Really?" Hinata glanced to Sasuke, she couldn't help to feel a little proud that Sasuke considered her strong.

"You should've known better. Don't listen to the clan or anyone else, they know nothing. Sometimes weakness can be strength"

Hinata tried to see if Sasuke was only trying to make her feel better but he saw he was sincere. She smiled gratefully to him,

"Thank you. You're as kind as Sakura and Naruto told me"

Sasuke merely twitched his eyebrow, hiding his surprise. He was surprised that she actually _believed_ that he was kind after all the things he had done. Realization dawned in him, it was Hinata's strength. Ability to trust people, to see and to bring out the best in people. That's why many people was concerned about her after the marriage, he didn't deserve her, he knew. But this was the least he could do. To keep a promise he had.

"_Just promise me you'll make her happy, don't ever try to hurt her"_

* * *

Author's Note: …What do you think? A little confusing I suppose… I don't mean to make the clan seemed so –well-… irritating. Clans tend to expect the best for the clan, it's for their own pride. It's rather normal they expect a lot from Hinata as their future leader. But they aren't making it easy for her, since most of the Hyuuga aren't that kind and understanding. About Hinata's mother and grandfather, I'm just making it up but it seems logical for me. And there are always one or more annoying people like Shiruba. This chapter just to show you what exactly Hinata thought about the clan. I don't know if Sasuke and Hinata conversation could be said a SasuHina moments… There are reasons why Sasuke talked much in this chapter, first, he was curious, second, he was impressed, third, he found a lot of similarities with Hinata and fourth, he was about to fulfill his promise to Naruto, he had nearly failed once and he wasn't going to fail again. The next chapter would be more interesting, I'll do my best! 

Responses:

Dearx –Vive? Ano, what does it mean? Thanks, their relationship would progress much later.

mI.ShOE – What kind of climax do you expect? Probably it will give me some ideas. I've read your fic Addicted:Like Mice to Cheese and I think it's pretty nice. It's just the title makes me wonder. Anyway, I'm waiting for your next chapter. Keep up the good work:)

Fractured wings 01 – Check! It's already put in my mind. The word silence in the last chapter was exactly used 11 times. Cause I'm not so creative author XDD

Lems – What a long review :) A NaruSaku fan, huh? Me too, especially to see their latest interaction in the manga. I want Naruto to be cool, because after all what the manga was named after? Naruto with his optimistic nature made him able to see things much clearer than anybody, in this case, Sasuke. Sasuke was no longer that cocky and arrogant, he wouldn't afraid to admit his mistake. I know what you mean… but I have difficulty imagining it, to make the long story short so… I found Sasuke's parents' name from Wikipedia, you can try it there. It has complete character guide and I'm using it for my story. BTW, I can understand you reviews, you have good English :D

Nanthakon – I understand your feeling. How good it is to be mentioned by our favorite author whom we left review. And it's my only way to express my gratitude for reading and leaving a review. Wow, do I really make you that curious? Glad you like it. Oh, you're mistaken Gundam SEED with Gundam Wing in your profile. I must admit, Lacus is too perfect, and I'd rather choose Cagalli over her.

Kumiko Yamashita – Glad to see you back! You're one of my first reviewers. Phew, I'm relieved that I succeeded in making that last part… if not… I dunno what would happen XDD

SHaPbY – Oops, sorry, my mistake –grins sheepishly- I've fixed it, thanks for the reminder. Yay, just few more weeks we're going to be an university student!

ChibiPheonix – Glad that I make another SasuHina fan. Thank you that you think I have the talent to make the story interesting even for non-SasuHina fans. I hope I won't disappoint you.

soulcollector – Hinata was a little mean? Well, I've edited the chapter and I added that Hinata that time was losing her patience and clear mind since she just had finished her hospital duties. C'mon, she barely had rest, then Sasuke yelled to her… she was pretty stressed out. I wouldn't be able to think clearly if I was in her place. Sasuke never goes berserk? He had. What exactly Naruto meant that Sasuke had better composure than him, you know what Naruto was like.

Smox – Oh, really? –tilts head- Simple? I'm not really good in making multiplot, besides, this _is_ a SasuHina story :) Thank you. Why did you change your mind? The betrothal idea isn't my own, I also got this idea from others. So, why not?

Not to forget others who reviewed: Hitomi No Ryu (Not really… Let's just wait and see, shall we?), shadowprincess8959 (Neji? More of him? Well, I want to), kenshinlover2002 (you're not the only one), hopeless-flame, Chihiro, The Dark Hanyou (I'm holding it off… Thanks for the suggestion), YumYum-Chan, Dyroness, wolf-enzeru, Ah-choo, chinadoll27 (yep, you're right. Humor? Did I put it? just ignore this), Devilz-Fallen (Everybody hates evil cliffhanger), newblue, xCrAzYxGuRlx (hoho, they are also my faves. Naruto rocks!), and mUcHaChAnGiStAriRaY (you'll always be my best reviewer). Thank you very much everybody! I hope those who have been reading this story will leave a review too. It will be greatly appreciated.


	8. Of Doubts

At last, an UPDATE! I suppose that's your initial reaction when you found this ;) Sorry, Gomen, Peiné, Scusa, Maaf! -bows deeply, muttering incoherent words, if anybody managed to understand what language I'm talking. You're awesome- I'm sorry for the late update, I've just started my first week in university, and it is much different than in high school. So I can't update this story as regularly as usual… -sighs- so you'll need to be very patient to see the next chapters… especially my only beta is also as busy as I am (we were from the same class in high school). But I assure you, this fic and my other fic(s) will NOT be discontinued. Probably I'm only slow in updating it. Oh, I also made a new fic, now still being edited by SHaPbY, the one that used to be locked in my drawers? –uh, well not really locked in my drawers…- When I post it, would you mind to drop by and tell me what you think about it? Thanks a lot. Now, let's read the awaited chapter! You know I don't own Naruto right:D

* * *

**What Are We?**

**Of Doubts**

If Konoha shinobi were seeking for decent weapons, they would look in the best weapon store in Konoha, the Shiheiki Weapon Store that was owned by the Shiheikis from generation to generations. There was a sign in front of the store that showed that they were opened for today. A young woman was sitting behind the counter, waiting for customers. She had her black hair tied into two buns, and was wearing a white Chinese shirt with elbow-length sleeves and matching knee-length pants. She seemed not paying attention to her job; instead she stole glances to the clock on the wall. Right when the clock showed 1 p.m., she could hear a bell ring as someone entered the store. The woman had already known who it was; a smile crept to her face,

"Neji!"

"Are you busy?" Neji smiled a little, a smile that was reserved only for certain people.

"Of course not! Just wait for a moment," the young woman, Tenten, quickly disappeared into her house behind the store. Neji could hear her cry to her mother, 'I'm leaving!' and a reply, 'Have a nice day, sweetie.' She returned, much more prepared for a lunch together in their favorite restaurant, which could be considered as a date. It was a day she had been looking forward to, since Neji was very busy as an ANBU captain, they hardly met each other. She wasn't wearing much make-up, simply because she didn't need it and Neji liked her better without it. She approached his boyfriend,

"Let's go, shall we?"

Neji merely nodded and led her out from the store. As they walked down the busy streets of Konoha, Tenten noticed something was different with Neji. Any other people probably wouldn't notice it, but being one of the closest people Neji had, Tenten could easily know something was disturbing him,

"What's wrong, Neji?"

"Nothing," he answered short. Tenten twitched her eyebrow, obviously unconvinced.

"…Have you visited Hinata lately?"

"Not really, but the last time I checked she was fine. It seems that she and Sasuke started to get along pretty well," Tenten paused, looking at Neji carefully, "Is this about Hinata?"

"…It's hard to hide things from you," his eyes twinkled in amusement.

"Mind to share?" it was more a demand than a request, Neji didn't miss the tone of her voice. He could see that she was concerned about Hinata too. He had shared many things with Tenten, and this time there was no exception. After they seated themselves where no one would hear their conversation, Neji told Tenten about the Hyuuga dinner.

Tenten's initial reaction was an incredulous look. She growled in a low whisper,

"Are all Hyuugas like that?"

"Most of them," Neji answered truthfully.

"That's why you asked about Hinata," Tenten concluded, "I haven't met her since the dinner you told me"

Tenten could see through the calm exterior that Neji was concerned of his cousin. They had gone to better terms since the chuunin exams and Neji considered Hinata more like a sister than the clan heiress whom he must protect as a Branch House member.

_Both of them are in a cage. Just different kinds of cages_, Tenten thought sadly.

"Let's check on her later, ok?" Tenten smiled comfortingly. The corner of Neji's mouth twitched a little, he was relieved to have someone that understood him.

"Alright"

Tenten decided that they bought some flowers in Yamanaka's Flower Shop for Hinata. She went into the shop with Neji following her and was surprised to find not only Ino in the shop, but also Hinata.

Ino was the first to greet them cheerfully behind the counter,

"Tenten, Neji! It's been a while!"

Hinata had turned to face the two new visitors. Her face brightened up as she saw them. She didn't seem affected by the dinner incident. In her hands, there was a bouquet of jasmine and lavender, her favorite flowers. It seemed that she dropped by to buy the flowers.

"Hinata! How are you?" Tenten pulled Hinata into a warm hug.

"I'm fine, Tenten. It seems everybody keeps asking me the same question today," Hinata gave a brief glance toward Ino who simply shrugged, "Here to buy some flowers?"

"Well, we intended to visit you and bring some flowers along," Tented tilted her head a little, indicating her and Neji.

"I'm here, so I think you don't need to buy the flowers"

"Hey! I won't let my customers leave without buying anything from the shop," Ino interrupted. Hinata and Tenten giggled to hear their blonde friend.

"Then I think I'll choose some flowers from the greenhouse, can I?" Tenten asked.

"Of course," Ino caught the hint. She grabbed Tenten and led her to the greenhouse, leaving Hinata and Neji alone.

"Neji-kun, it's been a while. How are you?" Hinata asked good-naturedly.

"I'm fine, thank you," Neji answered a bit too formally, making Hinata chuckle.

"Don't be so stiff. I'm alright," Hinata assured him, knowing that he was worried about her after what happened.

"Are you sure?" he asked in brotherly tone.

"Really, Sasuke helped me"

"Sasuke?" Neji repeated his name in suspicion. He was among the people who didn't fully trust the last Uchiha. Hinata didn't miss the tone of his voice.

"He did," she confirmed it, "I explained him everything and he understood"

"Hinata!" Neji protested, "You shouldn't do that!"

"Why? He's my husband, he deserves to know," Hinata spoke calmly.

"But he can't be trusted, he's-"

"A former traitor and missing nin," Hinata cut him smoothly, "Yes, I'm totally aware of that. He isn't as bad as you think. He deserves a second chance"

"But the fact he easily betrayed the village after everything we've done and how he returned suddenly-"

"You think it was that easy for him?" Hinata retorted, "You don't even know him. If he doesn't deserve a second chance, then neither does you"

Neji was taken aback. Hinata seldom mentioned the chuunin exams when he was so blinded by his hatred toward the main house that he fought Hinata with the intention to kill.

"That's a different case"

"No, it's not. You should've understood what made him choose that path. He isn't much different. The only difference is that he went further than you did"

Neji was silenced with Hinata's words. He didn't want to admit that she was right. In some ways, he and Sasuke weren't that different. Hinata knew she had touched a sensitive topic but she couldn't help it, she truly wanted someone to understand, to see through that there was more to the cold and stoic Sasuke.

"After I explained it to him, he merely said that what I did was understandable. We even sparred the next morning, and he considered me strong, unlike the clan. And I know he was honest"

Neji examined his cousin carefully. He knew that Hinata wasn't lying. He never doubted her judgment, she had proven herself right many times, included about him. If Hinata thought so about Sasuke, then he truly hoped she was right. So he let it drop,

"So, what are you going to do today?"

Hinata smiled as he changed the topic, grateful that he decided to trust her judgment.

I

I

I

Sasuke was performing his regular duty in his post in the border of Konoha, watching every single being that passed the border. He stood straight and tall, his senses were fully alert. His hand folded in front of his chest, he didn't move a bit. If anyone happened to pass his post by, they would think it was a wolf-masked ANBU statue. He was waiting for his subordinates to report for the recent condition of the borders. Then puffs of smoke appeared behind him, revealing three ANBUs, one of them was wearing a falcon mask. The falcon-masked ANBU took a step forward to his captain.

"Report," Sasuke didn't bother to look at his subordinate.

"The east, west and north borders are completely safe," his vice captain reported.

"South?" he noticed the absence of the last guard.

"We haven't heard anything from them. They should've reported by now"

Sasuke turned his head slightly toward Takamori (yep, that's his name, the vice captain), dark cold eyes could be seen from the slight opening on the mask. Everyone knew that something was wrong: tardiness wasn't tolerated in their important duty.

"Takamori, bring two more ANBUs. We're going to verify the situation in south border," Sasuke had fully turned, facing his subordinates, his hands were no longer folded.

"Hai!" Takamori swiftly gave orders as he was ordered to. He instructed the other guards to stay alert in their posts, and chose two ANBUs to go along with him and the captain to check the south border. Without wasting time, they headed to the south.

As they were moving closer to the southern post guard, Sasuke caught the faint scent of blood and strong foreign chakra signatures. He estimated at least there were five of them. He narrowed his eyes, as his senses picked up more information of the situation. His subordinates weren't dealing well: he sensed some of them were in weakened state. In measurable distance, Sasuke gave orders with a wave of his hand to spread out. His subordinates nodded slightly and without any other word they swiftly separated to every distance.

Sasuke quickened his pace, when he was in a safe distance he slowed down and landed on a high branch, enough to give him full sight of the situation. Concealing his presence, he saw that his assumptions weren't wrong, the southern guards were dealing with five missing nin from their forehead protectors. He examined the situation at hand, from five of his subordinates, one was wounded pretty badly, two didn't seem well though there was no evident wound, and the other two that included their leader were fending off the missing nin their best. Sasuke knew they were at disadvantage; the missing nin was much stronger than it seemed. He didn't waste more time. When one of the missing nin was about to kill one of the guard, Sasuke parried the attack and gave a kick that sent the missing nin flying backward. Soon the other three joined their captain in the scene, assisting their comrades. The missing nin Sasuke kicked had returned to his feet, he was glowering menacingly at Sasuke,

"More of you huh? You're not going to leave this fight alive after facing us"

Sasuke didn't react, he simply took an offensive stance and all the people noticed the blood red color that replaced the dark onyx eyes. Without a sign, Sasuke and his subordinates charged at the missing nins.

I

I

I

Hinata was currently in the children ward, examining their health. It was her turn today. She tried to make the children still so it would be easier to examine them. It proved to be hard, they were so full of energy though they were healing and they were very excited since it was one of their favorite nee-chan who was examining them.

She shook her head in exasperation, though an amused smile was on her face. She loved children, despite of how much of a pain they could be in times. So she focused all of her attention toward the children, examining their health and trying to make them still at the same time by talking to them. Her focus was altered as she heard hurried footsteps that were approaching to her place.

"Hinata!"

Hinata turned around to see Sakura was standing in front of the ward, it seemed that something had happened that made her run quickly to her place.

"What's wrong?" Hinata suddenly felt nervous, she didn't have a good feeling.

"There's an emergency. Nine ANBUs from the Sixth Division are injured, five of them are in critical condition"

Hinata felt her heart drop when she heard of the news, Sixth Division, it was Sasuke's division. She quickly handed over the health check to a nurse and followed Sakura to the emergency ward. She didn't hear the voices of disappointment from the children as her attention was moved to another important matter. Sakura's face was serious, Hinata was concerned if anything had happened to Sasuke. As if reading her mind, Sakura told her,

"Sasuke is pretty much fine. He is the least injured between them but he refused any medical treatment"

"Why?" Hinata's eyes widened in surprise.

"Because he is more worried about his comrades," Sakura gave Hinata a sad smile, "He won't be treated until he is assured of his comrades' safety, though he doesn't show it clearly"

"Then we'll treat them immediately," Hinata smiled in understanding to hear Sakura's explanation. Sakura nodded back in agreement. They quickly took their positions.

After long hours, the wounded ANBUs managed to pass their critical condition. Hinata checked the patients' vital signs and was relieved that their conditions were getting stable. Though it was still a bit too early to be relieved, at least the worst had been dealt with. She wrote important notes on the patients' conditions on her clipboard for the medic who would be in charge of their treatment. Now the only job left was to report about it to Sasuke. First, she needed to find Sakura and found her in other room.

"How are they?" Hinata asked softly not to disturb the unconscious patients as she stood next to Sakura who was scribbling some notes on her clipboard.

"So far, they're fine," Sakura paused, her eyes seemed sad, "…Most of them have some of their nerves severed pretty badly, we've managed to heal it though they'll need a thorough rehabilitation and it can't be guaranteed their reflexes will be as good as before"

"It's too early for any conclusion, you see what happened to Lee-kun," Hinata was saddened with the news, but she tried to be optimistic.

"Well, he's a different case," Sakura rolled her eyes.

Hinata chuckled a bit, she took a look at their health report and saw what Sakura said was right. She could easily conclude the cause of it, though she could hardly believe it,

"The missing nins used lightning element jutsu? And high-leveled ones?"

"Unless there is a better explanation, it seems so. Those missing nins are remarkably strong to be able to perform this kind of jutsu and add the fact that they know poisons pretty well. But much more incredible is that Sasuke doesn't seem to be injured badly"

"…How are we going to tell him?"

"The truth. He doesn't like to be lied to," Sakura answered, "It's the best for you to tell him"

Hinata gave Sakura a dumbfounded look.

"You can deliver it better than I do," Hinata knew from the tone of her voice that it was final. Hinata inwardly sighed, she would be the one who deliver the news to Sasuke and it wasn't going to be easy.

I

I

I

Hinata found Sasuke leaning on the wall next to the emergency ward door, his eyes closed. She noticed his right hand was holding his battered mask, his ANBU attire was torn and ragged. She could see his untreated injuries all over his body. She looked at him concernedly, slowly she approached her husband.

"Sasuke…" she called him gently.

His eyes opened slowly as he heard his name being called, though he kept his gaze down, not looking at anybody.

"How are they?" his voice was barely a whisper.

"So far they're doing well, though they still need time to stabilize. We've managed to take out the poison from their system and give them the antidote. "

"…Any permanent damage?"

Hinata hesitated, she wasn't sure if she should tell him or not.

"I'm their captain," Sasuke spoke firmly, reminding her of his position… _I deserve to know_

"…Some of the nerves are severed pretty badly. We've managed to heal it but it needs time to fully function again. They'll need a thorough rehabilitation until they can regain their strength again," Hinata hid the fact of them fully regain the strength chance were rather slim. Finally, Sasuke lifted his head to look at Hinata directly. She could feel his dark eyes were examining her whether she was lying or not. The coldness of his eyes would easily unnerve people, there was no hint of single emotion within it. But being his wife, Hinata had learned to get used to it.

"Can they fully regain their strength?" It was the question Hinata feared most, but she had no choice but to tell the truth.

"There's still a good chance," Hinata answered the best as she could, trying not to tell how slim the possibility was. However, Sasuke could see through the meaning of her words.

Sasuke's face hardened as he heard of his subordinates' condition, his fists tightened, and the force was nearly breaking the mask he had been holding. He straightened himself, and walked to the direction of the hospital's entrance. Hinata was taken aback with the sudden reaction, she didn't see that one coming.

"Sasuke! You're injured! At least treat your injuries first," Hinata tried to stop him.

But Sasuke kept walking, paying no heed to Hinata's concern.

He ended in Uchiha training ground, unconsciously he let his feet lead himself to the place. The previous events were still fresh in his mind. How he and his subordinates were engaged in combat with the missing nins. How strong the missing nins were. How they managed to use poisons and lightning element jutsu. How his subordinates were weakened after the attacks.

It was his mistake. He miscalculated their opponent's strength. He should have ordered them to retreat than to keep fighting the missing nins.

He delivered a blow to the log furiously until his wounds on his hand opened once again.

Then the rain started to fell down from the sky.

I

I

I

Hinata watched the rain falling heavily to the earth from the window hospital. She couldn't stop thinking of Sasuke. Back then she couldn't see his face but when he turned to leave, she caught a glimpse of guilt and anger… to himself. She was very worried about him. Even though they had started to know one another better, but Sasuke was still hard to understand. Hinata didn't know where Sasuke went to and what he was going to do. He wouldn't do anything foolish, she was sure about that, but she had her doubts. Suddenly she felt a light tap on her shoulder that woke her up from her thoughts. She looked at the person only to find Sakura smiling knowingly to her,

"You can leave now"

"But I haven't finished my duties"

"You have more important matter. Besides everything has been taken care of, you can return now. Sasuke needs you more"

Hinata was a little surprised to Sakura's statement. Sakura's face didn't falter, she simply nodded, half-pleading to Hinata. Sakura was also worried about her teammate, but she doubted she could do anything for him. The only person she knew could help Sasuke was Naruto who was currently still in an ANBU mission and Hinata.

Hinata could easily decipher her best friend's thoughts even though no words were spoken between them. She simply nodded and smiled in understanding, silently telling Sakura that she would do her best.

Hinata left the hospital, clad in a transparent raincoat over her clothes, an umbrella in her hand. She walked slowly through the almost deserted streets. Most of the villagers could be seen sheltering themselves from the rain in the buildings. Only few people were walking in the rain, rather hurriedly to their destination. She didn't feel the need to increase her pace, instead she took her time to walk in the rain toward Uchiha compound.

She glanced slightly to the raining sky, she always enjoyed the moments when it was raining. She loved the scent of earth after it was washed by the pouring rain. She loved to feel the raindrops tickling her skin. Most of all, she loved the silence that ensued the rain, giving her time alone with her thoughts, especially in moments like these. Sakura's words kept resounding in her mind,

"…_Sasuke needs you more"_

_Really?_ She thought sadly, _Does he need me? Why would he need me?_ She had her doubts about that, though she wouldn't admit it openly to anybody. She let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head slightly, reminding herself not to think that way. She stopped thinking about it as she was approaching the Uchiha compound.

Somehow when she was about to pass Uchiha training ground where she had sparred with Sasuke, she had a nagging feeling to check the training ground. At first she tried to ignore it but she changed her mind and decided to follow her intuition, besides there was no harm to check it. She spun around, heading to the training ground.

As she walked closer to the training ground, her keen sight caught something. Her eyes widened in surprise, she saw a figure lying motionlessly on the ground. In an instant she ran to the figure's side only to find it was the one she was feared to be.

Sasuke.

* * *

Author's Note: Oh-kaay, I think I hurried this chapter too much…-sweatdrops- I have two people asking about this chapter, and I have no heart to disappoint them and other people who thought the same. I've got the idea from Wing-chan, btw how come I didn't see her review? You can also give me some ideas, too, not only Wing-chan. SHaPbY protested of the cliffie and asked for the next chapter, which I haven't started yet. I guess she isn't the only one :) Hope I can update soon and the lecturers won't give me too many homework. And here's the usual, you know it's pretty surprising that among my reviewers wrote in their profile that they prefer Sakura than Hinata with Sasuke, yet they read this story. Glad this story can be accepted by many, not only SasuHina fans. 

Responses:

ChibiPheonix – Thank you, your words are very encouraging to me. Be very patient with me, okay?

SHaPbY – Incase you forget, you ARE important. First, you're my friend (temen creambath, haha!). Second, you're the one who edit my story. Third, you're one of my reviewers! That helps this story to reach 100+ reviews! Nice relationship between you and your sis, wanna see both of you fussing around XDD

wolf-enzeru – that's the longest review you've ever given me :) There will be more SasuHina moments, that I can assure you. After all isn't this fic a SasuHina story? Thanks for the idea, probably I will contact you. Do you have Y!M?

ah-choo – well, not all people loves the fight scenes, but I'm itching to do that though it's just a spice to the story. So, whaddaya think of this chappie? Is it worth waiting?

mUcHaChAnGiStAriRaY – as usual, another long review :) Hmm, you should see the new story though this time it will be multipairing, but there will be SasuHina indeed. You're not the only one who thinks like that about that certain pairing, but I suppose all SasuHina fans think that way XDD NaruSaku? –a strange glint in the eyes- Glad you like the spar part.

Nanami Yasumaki – Yeah me too. Glad you find this story and like it. Welcome! Long live SasuHina! Um, wonderful piece of art… isn't it too exaggerating? -sweatdrops-

xCrAzYxGuRlx – Honestly, I'm on the verge of losing idea XDD I'm the type who writes first then lets the story goes on its own. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow… especially when fight scenes involved…-sighs, thinking of another fic-

soulcollector – that's a good reminder, I'll try to put more characters, but I have some difficulties in relating them to the pairs. Naruto and Sakura will make the most appearance. I plan to show more KakaKure too.

Lems – And another long review, not that I don't like it. Haha! Yep, Sasuke should know his wife better. Hanabi? Because I want to and I think it's nice to see such relationship. No, I made up the names. You're among the few who like the sparring part. It seems all SasuHina fans are automatically NaruSaku fans XDD Nope, I can't stand it either, somehow both of them don't fit. Hope you like this chapter!

Nanthakon V2.3 – DDR – Well, I suppose you've fixed that. 7/10? What's the average? Can't help it, if I made it longer, it'd be more confusing since I didn't have more ideas to add. –holds out hands in defense- Sorry!

Not to forget other important reviewers: Devilz-Fallen, kenshinlover2002 (I agree, it's a start), newblue (short reviews, but always there. Thanks a LOT, you're also one of my best reviewers), mI.ShOE (open up soon… let's see, shall we?), shygurlie, dark.angels.sacerifice, ana (you can register an account and choose story alert so you don't need to check everytime), chinadoll27 (train Hinata? Hmm, pretty good idea), Goth Flamango (Welcome! Thanks for the reviews), YumYum-Chan (Really?), AncientHistory (thank you for the suggestion, then would you like to be a beta for this story?), Rook (nice name), and pretty cherry. Thank you for reading and leaving a review everybody! Especially I notice there are new people around, welcome! Each of your review encourages me to do better. See ya next chapter, ja!


	9. Of Questions

An UPDATE! And, I shall give you some warning that this chapter is not beta-ed since my dear friend, SHaPbY is currently unwell. I've been waiting for her beta but she told me to post the story, incase there are people who is waiting for this chap (Really? –twitches an eyebrow-). And sheesh, life in university is tough, so many assignments T-T.

Oh well, you know Naruto is not mine right? The only thing I own is this story. Let's read!

* * *

**What Are We?**

**Of Questions**

Hinata had managed to carry Sasuke from the training ground to the house. She brought him to her room, since it was closer to reach from the front door. She laid him on the futon, he was unconscious. She went to the kitchen and boiled water in the kettle. As soon as the water was hot enough she poured it into a plastic bowl and draped a small towel on the side. Without slowing her pace, she returned to the room where Sasuke was and sat beside him. She examined her husband's condition in a glance, then she placed a hand on his forehead. He was cold, and was shivering. She would need to tend his injuries first. In swift and careful movements as a medic nin, she removed his wet clothes and saw the injuries all over his body. She dried him off carefully, especially around the injuries, and then she started to heal his injuries after cleaning the area around it with damp towel. Green glow appeared from her hands, slowly but surely the injuries were healing until there was no sign of injuries left.

Hinata wiped the sweat from her brow as her first task was finished. She swiftly changed his clothes into warm and dry clothes she could find. She checked his temperature once again and found the cold had turned into a fever. She pulled the cover up to his chest and saw his body was still shivering slightly. Changing the water, she returned to Sasuke's side and put the damp cloth on his forehead. She let out a relieved sigh, she could calm down for now. She feared he had been longer in the rain or he would have caught pneumonia other than high fever. She felt truly glad that she decided to follow her intuition to check the training ground. She looked sadly at Sasuke, if he was in better state, he would be fine. But he wasn't and due to the untreated injuries and the previous battle fatigue, he was weakened.

Hinata was truly concerned about Sasuke, she had checked the storage and found they had run out of medicine. Looking at the state Sasuke was in, she didn't dare to leave his side. She sighed, feeling a little helpless. For now, she would only watch over him.

I

I

I

Naruto yawned and stretched himself outside the Hokage office after giving his reports. He was still wearing his ANBU attire, his fox mask hung securely on his belt.

"So much for maintaining an image of strong and serious ANBU," a feminine voice spoke. Naruto knew whose voice it was, he smiled as he turned to the direction of the person. It was his former teammate, Sakura. There was an amused smile etched on her pretty face, and a glint in her eyes that accompanied the smile. Somehow, in his eyes, he always found his female former teammate beautiful. The years only seemed to make her beauty more. He returned her smile with his trademark grin.

"Should I?" he asked innocently, putting both of his hands at the back of his head.

"At least _I_ think you should," Sakura crossed her arms, "The children nowadays don't find ANBUs scary or even worth to look up to"

Naruto felt that the remark was not only directed at him, he glanced at his fellow ANBUs.

"Tch, so troublesome," a familiar line from a certain lazy ANBU captain.

"Hello, Sakura-chan! You look as lovely as ever today!" And another familiar energetic greeting, Sakura restrained herself from rolling her eyes.

"Hello, Shikamaru-kun, Lee-kun," Sakura greeted the two who happened to be with Naruto. Both of them had grown in stature but still… some things didn't change. Only that Lee was no longer had a crush toward Sakura and less weird poses.

"So, what brings you here?" Naruto changed the topic smoothly. Even though he must admit, she had a point, but he couldn't help it though, he added to himself in amusement.

She waved a map of documents on her right hand, "As usual, some reports from the hospital and…"

Naruto could easily figure out why she left her sentence hanging. He casually walked to her who was waiting for some talk with him. Before they went to search a place to talk comfortably, Sakura sent a meaningful glance toward Shikamaru,

"Don't forget the promised dinner at 8, Shikamaru!"

The moment Sakura spoke that, the dark-haired ANBU's eyes widened as realization hit him,

"Kso! Ino's gonna kill me!" it was already a quarter past eight.

Naruto and Sakura watched as he dashed down to the stairs and stopped in the middle of his descent. Smacking his head for his foolishness, he made a simple hand seal and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto whistled to see how panicked the ANBU captain was,

"Ino surely could be frightening in some times"

"Oh yes she could. It's the only way to make Shikamaru on his feet," Sakura chuckled. They found a comfortable place to talk without any interruption and both settled on the sofa.

"What's up?" Naruto asked lightly.

"It's Sasuke," Sakura's face was serious and soon Naruto's face changed. Sakura told him everything from what happened to Sasuke and his subordinates to Sasuke's leave without treating the injuries first.

"…I've asked Hinata to watch over him, but…"

"But?"

"I notice a slight doubt in her, somehow… So, could you check on them?"

"Why should I? Why don't you do that?"

"You know Sasuke better than anyone, and I cannot give any help regarding him. My advice wouldn't be helpful enough," she sighed rather sorrowfully. Naruto's face turned serious, his mouth set in a firm straight line. He closed his eyes in thoughtfulness, and placed a comforting hand on Sakura's.

"I'll check on them," he stood up from his seat, "Probably after a quick dinner at the Ichiraku's. If that's fine for you..."

"Oh no, of course it is," Sakura blinked in surprise, "…Sorry for bothering you"

Naruto waved his hand in the air lightly, "Nope, you're never be a bother for me. It's not I can refuse a friend's ask for help. Besides, I'm also worried for my best friends"

Unfortunately, or probably fortunately for Sakura, Naruto didn't notice how Sakura's face fell when he mentioned her as a _friend_. Before Naruto could notice it though, she had already composed herself.

"Okay, see ya later!" he grinned good-naturedly, then in a puff a smoke he disappeared, leaving a sad looking Sakura.

"…Just a friend, huh?" she looked sadly at the empty seat where Naruto had sat, "I suppose I'm expecting too much." She stood up and walked to the Hokage office where she was supposed to be.

I

I

I

Hinata was by Sasuke's side, tending her husband. There was no sign that he was about to regain consciousness anytime soon and the fever didn't seem to subside. Her face was filled with concern to her husband, he was breathing heavily and twitching and talking restlessly in his sleep. She couldn't do anything to help him, the only help she could give was to stay by his side. Then she felt an all too familiar presence outside the door, she merely smiled in amusement,

"Don't ever bother to knock the door, Naruto-kun? Or does it occur to you enter from the front door as any other civilized people do?"

The room's paper door slid open, revealing Naruto who was grinning sheepishly, a hand on the back of his head.

"Well, that thought does occur to me. You sounded like Sakura that way"

"It can't be helped, considering we're working together in the same field," Hinata realized that Naruto probably was here because of Sakura.

At last Naruto noticed the person who was lying motionless on the futon. He approached Hinata's side and examined his friend's condition in a glance,

"How is he?" Hinata could sense concern in his voice.

"The fever hasn't subsided and it seems he's not going to regain consciousness anytime soon"

"I see…" Naruto sensed the Uchiha heir's chakra signature was rather hectic and he suspected it was not only caused by the injuries, "Can I do anything?"

"Well, if you don't mind, you can buy some medicines, we ran out of medicines supply here," Hinata reached for a paper and scribbled a list of medicines needed to buy. She handed the list to Naruto.

"I'll be back," then he disappeared in a puff of smoke only to appear ten minutes later.

"Here," he handed a plastic bag with the ordered medicines.

"Thank you," Hinata took the plastic bag gratefully.

"You're welcome," then he sat cross-legged on across Hinata, right beside Sasuke enough to have a good look on him.

"So, what did he do until he ends like this?"

"He trained himself under the rain without treating his injuries first," somehow Hinata managed to explain it in a single sentence and without looking at Naruto as she brewed the medicines into right dose.

"Ah, I see. Typical Sasuke," Naruto commented lightly.

Hinata raised her head to look at Naruto, a single brow was raised in question to the comment. Naruto shrugged slightly, his eyes were on his best friend.

"I suppose you've seen how much _that_ day affects him," Naruto saw Hinata nodded, "How it affects him and shapes him into what he is now. And one of the things it caused to him is fear… fear of losing his precious people.

"That's why he unconsciously builds a distance to others, why he could hardly trust others. Not only because he's afraid to be hurt and betrayed _again_ but also because he's afraid to lose them. But things didn't go that way for him, unfortunately for him, with the arrangement of team 7. We managed to get under his skin, gaining his trust and becoming his closest people. I learned that once Sasuke has found someone precious to him, he will give anything to protect them even his life. He could hardly forgive himself to what he did in the Valley of End though I have. His subordinates in his division are among the few he trusts. At first, things aren't very well, just imagine having a former traitor and missing nin as your captain.

"But slowly, Sasuke earned what he deserves, respect… and trust. He could be a cold-hearted bastard in some times, but it is simply because he is supposed to be, as a leader and as a shinobi. Under that façade, he cares to his comrades and they see it. A very reliable comrade, he is." Naruto had his chin held by his hand that was cropped on his leg.

"…He can't afford to lose his precious people, or else, he'll blame himself for it"

Silence fell between them, the only source of the noise was coming from the pouring rain outside along with the roaring thunder. Hinata didn't know what to say, it was a bit too much to take for her. She pushed strands of hair behind her ear,

"…I see, I suppose it's still a long way for me to fully understand him"

Naruto had a slight surprised look crossed his features as Hinata spoke her thoughts. Then he spoke in stern voice, "No, don't ever think that way, Hinata-chan"

Hinata's eyes widened slightly to Naruto's reaction, she didn't expect him to be angered by her statement.

"It may be hard for Sasuke to open up to you. But I'm sure he would eventually, I'm sure of it. Because… like every other people does, he wishes to be understood and… to be loved," he looked at Sasuke sadly, "Even though he wouldn't admit it"

Hinata was totally silenced with his words, and felt a bit ashamed of her previous thoughts. She shouldn't have thought that way to her husband, what a great wife she was. She couldn't help to admire how much Naruto understood Sasuke. Now he saw, how much they meant to each other, they were more than comrades, teammates, or friends, they were more, they were brothers, bound by trust and understanding.

"Ah! It was late already!" Naruto broke the silence when he saw it was already past nine, then lowered his voice, "Sorry. I suppose I'll leave so I won't disturb you"

"It's okay, Naruto-kun," Hinata smiled, "You can stay if you want"

"Naah," Naruto waved his hand nonchalantly, "You already have your hands full, it'll be better for you to take care of Sasuke. I'll visit when I have time"

"Alright," Hinata didn't mind. Naruto stood up and before he made a hand seal to transport himself, Hinata called him, "Naruto-kun"

"Hai?" Naruto titled his head a little.

"Thank you," it was a sincere gratitude.

"You're welcome," he gave his well-known grin before he disappeared, leaving puff of smoke.

I

I

I

Sasuke felt himself surrounded by darkness, everywhere all he saw was darkness. The darkness he had grown to hate. He tried to look at his hand within the darkness and clenched it, but he felt nothing. He didn't feel anything, he felt numb. There was no fear. There was no anger. Yet there was no peace. There was simply… nothing.

Void.

He thought he saw a flicker of light, he ignored it, thinking the void was better. Then he heard voices, it was distant at first but then it was getting clearer and louder. Familiar voices…

_"You're a coward, don't you know that?"_

"…_Stop dwelling in the past and stop swallowing yourself in self-pity!"_

"_-No, you're not. You're running away from it!"_

As he heard those voices, he felt a sudden pain in his head. When he looked at the direction of the flicker of the light, the light was getting brighter. Slowly, he walked toward the light, and every step he took, memories returned to him unbidden. He was no longer numb. Emotions and pain returned along with the memories. He remembered everything, included his last fight… his subordinates… his comrades. How they were wounded severely after the battle…

How he failed them.

Suddenly his eyes pried open, his hands were clutching the cover tightly. He was breathing labouredly and he could feel his heart beating rapidly. He took few steady breaths to calm himself. He felt his head light and his body was burning with fever. He tried to focus his surroundings. He frowned as he realized that he wasn't in his usual room. He caught a faint scent of lavender and jasmine, when he was about to examine more his head felt hurt. His hand automatically reached for his head, he let out a silent cry of pain. But the sudden movement caught Hinata awake, who was sleeping by Sasuke's side, but not in the same futon.

"Sasuke?" she quickly moved closer to Sasuke's side. Sasuke needed sometime to realize that Hinata had been by his side all the time when he was unconscious. He felt cool hand was pressed to his warm forehead. The close contact reminded him of his mother who did the same when he was sick.

"You have a high fever," Hinata spoke softly, though she didn't really intend to tell Sasuke. Hinata went to the kitchen to change the water and took a glass of water. She knelt beside Sasuke and offered him the glass that had been added medicine,

"Drink, you need it," Hinata told him gently. Sasuke took the glass, Hinata helped him to drink it though with difficulty. Hinata put the damp cloth on her husband's forehead. The medicine should start working by now, she thought. She was about to return to the kitchen to refill the empty glass, when a warm hand grabbed hers, stopping her from leaving. She was taken aback to the sudden action.

"Stay," it came the weak voice, in a way it sounded like a command but in other way… it sounded like a plea. Hinata hid her surprise and didn't have the heart to refuse. She returned to his side hesitantly, not knowing exactly what to do. Sasuke had his eyes closed, never had she seen him so weak and fragile, it pained her inside. Gingerly, she placed her hand on his. She felt him tensed for a moment for the sudden contact but it disappeared as fast as it appeared. She gave him a gentle squeeze, as if trying to tell him that she wouldn't leave and stay by his side. It seemed he understood as he seemed calmer and slowly he drifted to sleep once again.

Hinata watched the young yet seemed so tired face and understood for once, he had truly slipped off his cold façade and how true Naruto's words were. Sasuke wasn't much different with any other people, he was longing to be understood… to be loved. She couldn't help but to feel a bit sad, she was still no one to him… She wasn't his friend, even though they weren't strangers anymore.

She moved her gaze to the window where the rain was still falling from the sky, washing everything away on its path. She could feel Sasuke's warm hand on and under hers, not bothered with such close contact. It was the closest contact they had ever had during their marriage life. Her thoughts made her ponder of their relationship.

They were married, they were husband and wife, yet they didn't seem or act like one.

They used to be strangers. They had accepted each other's company, yet they weren't friends.

There was some understanding between them, but there was not much of trust.

They were two different people.

Uchiha and Hyuuga.

They were complete opposites, yet they were together right now.

Hinata closed her eyes for a brief moment and whispered the question that had been plaguing her mind,

"…What are we?"

* * *

Author's Note: Oh-kaay… Don't tell me if it's lame… I'm doing this chapter the best that I could between all the assignments. I could understand though if it was rather confusing, my mind's been a little disorganized these days. Have I told you there are always assignments every week? And if the lecturers are kind enough, not every _week_, every _day_. How generous. It's kinda short but an important chapter. Hinata had doubts in their relationship, which was understandable, it seemed they weren't moving anywhere. Sasuke didn't seem to open up anytime. It was hard to understand him. They were not strangers, nor Friends, nor husband and wife. What are we? That's how the title was made. Since I can't make long responses to your wonderful reviews, I wrote the responses in my blog instead, through my profile, click the homepage.You can check it only in ONE condition, don't forget to leave REVIEWS! That's all. Just wait patiently for my next chapter. See ya! 


	10. Of Wishes

New chapter has been posted! Cheers, it's the longest chapter I've ever made! I must admit, I have so many things that I want to put down in the story, mostly regarding Sasuke's thoughts. In this chapter, it's shown what's inside Sasuke's mind about recent events and his past. Please welcome back to my friend SHaPbY! She's still in bedrest though, and it's a surprise she managed to beta my story. Though I suppose there remains some mistakes in this chapter since both of us are busy (moi, with univ and her, with her mother strict orders to stay in bed XDD). Happy reading! And don't forget to leave reviews guys!

Standard disclaimer… umm, do I really need to write this in each chapter or once that applies to all chapter? Anyway, ignore this, you know the rules of fanfiction.

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**What Are We?**

**Of Wishes**

The rain at last stopped the following morning. Slowly, sunlight peeked through dwindling clouds and fell through the window into the room where Hinata was, immersing the room with its warm light. Hinata was awoken from her slumber as she felt the warmth. She blinked her eyes until she could fully regain her consciousness. She couldn't remember how she ended up sleeping through the night. She moved her attention toward a sleeping figure beside her and realized that his hand was still clasping hers. Everything that had happened returned to her, and she remembered how he asked her to stay. She felt a slight blush found its way to her cheeks.

Hinata looked at her husband concernedly, she moved closer to his side without letting go his hand. She checked his temperature by putting a hand over his forehead. She let out a relieved sigh silently, his fever had lessened significantly. She could leave Sasuke for a moment to prepare some warm porridge for him and freshened up herself. She gently removed his hand and placed it on the futon. She left the room quietly so she wouldn't wake him up.

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Sasuke slowly pried his heavy eyes open, and as soon as he fully opened it, he could feel bright warm sunlight overwhelming his senses. He realized it was already morning. He found his eyes once again examining the room where he was, his mind registering everything he saw and felt. He came into a conclusion that everything that had happened was real, he wasn't in his room, and instead he was in his supposed wife's room. He could inhale the scent of jasmine and lavender in the room and in the futon where he laid.

Sasuke tried to hoist himself up, only to lie down again as dizziness overcame him. He touched his feverish brow, the same hand that had been holding Hinata's hand. He looked at the hand blankly, he could still feel the lingering warmth of the Hyuuga heiress' comforting hand. It reminded him of his mother, the same kindness, gentleness, and warmth.

Sasuke wondered what made him do the things he did last night, asking her to stay and holding her hand, never let go. He closed his eyes, regulating his breathing in the same time. He remembered the darkness, the void and the pain…and how he found comfort in her touch, in her presence only. He remembered… how he drifted into a dreamless sleep afterwards. Sleep for Uchiha Sasuke was a luxury, being an ANBU captain who was required to be always on alert, he could barely have a deep sleep. Even though he had day offs, he seldom had good night sleep, either his alert senses couldn't sleep or nightmares that kept haunting him at night, making him awake in the middle of the night or he was fortunate enough, he could sleep until before the sun completely rose. That's why he trained so early in the morning, not only because he needed it to keep in shape but also to shake off his drowsiness caused by his lack of sleep. Dreamless sleep… there were only few times he had them.

He wondered how he could drift into dreamless sleep so easily when he was with Hinata. He could never sleep within other people's presence, save for few people whom he really trusted, such as his former teammates. Was it because of the relaxing scent of lavender and jasmine in the room? Was it because of the high fever? Or there was another reason? Sasuke's brows furrowed as he contemplated about it only to find that he was still unable to think clearly.

"Sasuke? You're awake?" a gentle voice came from the direction of the door. Sasuke opened his eyes and saw Hinata standing in the doorway, a tray in her hands. She had changed into more casual and comfortable clothes. She walked to his side and put the tray down. Sasuke's eyes followed her as she prepared his breakfast, a bowl of warm porridge and a glass of green tea.

"Feeling better?" Hinata asked kindly, unconsciously talking more like a medic nin in the hospital. It was what she normally did when she checked up her patients, trying to make any conversation so the patients would feel more relaxed and comfortable despite the main reason why they were in the hospital in first place.

"Ah," Sasuke answered short as usual, still feeling a bit weak because of the fever. It didn't go unnoticed by Hinata.

"I brought you breakfast. Not much, but it's good for your health. Would you like to eat it now?" Sasuke merely nodded and tried to hoist himself up. Hinata quickly helped him so he could sit on the futon, she readjusted the pillow and blanket's position to make him more comfortable. Then a thought occurred to her that Sasuke wouldn't like to be treated like an invalid, making her stop and let Sasuke to position himself. When he seemed steady enough, Hinata gave him the still steaming bowl. Hinata simply watched as her husband took a spoonful of porridge and ate it slowly.

The porridge was warm and delicious, he could feel the warmth down to his throat. He realized how hungry he was, he hadn't eaten since yesterday's events. Hinata was a good cook, he had realized it since they lived together. While he was eating, he realized Hinata didn't eat, instead she just sat next to him quietly.

"Have you eaten?" Sasuke asked. Hinata seemed a little surprised that he asked.

"Iie, I haven't. I'll eat later," Hinata smiled and nodded reassuringly. Sasuke merely glanced at her, as he took another spoonful of porridge, he asked again,

"Aren't you on duty in hospital?"

"I've told them that today I couldn't come. It is not a problem. I often work in my day offs so it's okay for me to take some day offs"

Sasuke nodded slightly in understanding, it was a new fact for him that she worked in the hospital even in her day offs other than missions. Then he realized he didn't know much about his wife.

"Do you like working in the hospital?"

Hinata blinked few times to make sure she wasn't hearing things. Sasuke was starting a conversation with her and he was asking about her work. That was… unexpected.

"I do," Hinata answered truthfully, "I like helping people"

Sasuke twitched an eyebrow slightly, it suited her well but didn't speak it loud.

"Yesterday Naruto visited," this time it was Hinata who spoke as she switched the empty bowl with a glass of green tea.

"That worrywart," Sasuke sipped his tea.

"He's just worried for his best friend. It seems that this isn't the first time," Hinata hid a smile when Sasuke called Naruto worrywart, "He has a good reason"

The statement silenced Sasuke, it wasn't the first indeed. He suspected Sakura told Naruto about what happened and probably Naruto could easily figure what might happen.

"They worry too much," Sasuke didn't only speak of Naruto, Hinata noticed.

"There are people who care about you"

The old Sasuke would probably have snorted to that statement arrogantly, but he wasn't that Sasuke anymore. This time he felt warm and glad that he had people who truly cared for him. He couldn't ask for more. Hinata noticed the contemplative look in Sasuke's face so she decided not to disturb him. She silently slipped out from the room taking tray of empty bowl and glass along with her.

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Meanwhile in a busy market in Konoha, two young women could be seen walking down the streets with groceries bags in their hands. One had long blond hair and the tallest between the two and the other had short pink hair.

"Thanks for the help, Sakura," the pretty blond smiled to her companion.

"You're welcome. It seems you truly need help with these," Sakura indicated the large groceries bags, "What a huge occasion you have there"

"Duh, it is. After all it is a special dinner between Nara and Yamanaka where all the clan members will be present, regarding a certain couple"

"You talk as if it was someone else," Sakura twitched an eyebrow. They had arrived in front of Yamanaka family house. Ino put down the bags she was holding to open the door with the keys. Sakura followed Ino to the kitchen and put all the groceries they bought in the market on the table. The house seemed already prepared for the occasion. Clean eating utensils could be seen stacked in the corner of the kitchen. Ino let out a sigh, not bothering to cover her feelings.

"Is this about the family dinner or about your soon-to-be-fiancée?"

"I suppose both," Ino threw herself on the couch, her hand rubbing her temples.

"What's the problem?" Sakura sat beside her childhood friend.

"You know last night's dinner right?"

"Yep," Sakura frowned for a moment, "Shikamaru wasn't late, was he?"

"No, he managed to come right on time"

"So what's the big deal?"

"During the dinner it seemed our parents were more enthusiastic about this engagement than ourselves. Shikamaru didn't speak at all"

"Ah, that's probably he was just tired. After all he'd just returned from mission"

"Oh, come on Sakura," Ino rolled her eyes, "Who am I to Shika-kun? I could tell the difference if he was tired or simply bored. Back then, he was… rather unreadable, I couldn't know whether he was happy or not with this engagement. One thing for sure, I didn't sense any enthusiasm"

"What makes you think so? He couldn't be not happy with the engagement, after all you've been dating for 5 years, you were the first one between rookie nine to get together. And both of you are getting along well, probably the only couple who can be compared with you is Neji and Tenten"

"I know, I know," Ino waved her hand in the air nonchalantly, "You need to remember that this is Shikamaru we're talking about. He probably changed from our genin years, but some things don't change. He'd rather take our relationship slow and steady, instead rush it like our parents do. I can't help but wonder if he really wants to get married"

"Don't ever think like that, Ino," Sakura was surprised with Ino's statement, she scolded her a little.

"Men are hard to understand, aren't they Sakura? They obviously treat you more than a friend but say nothing about it and always act as if there was nothing. They're so dense!"

Ino's speech truly caught Sakura off guard, it reminded her of someone, someone whom she liked secretly. Ino didn't fail to notice Sakura's sudden silence.

"Sakura?" Ino looked concernedly at her pink-haired friend.

"…Well, it seems all men are like that, huh?" Sakura smiled sadly. Ino frowned in thought what might be the cause Sakura said that. It didn't require a long time for Ino to figure it out.

"Is this about Naruto?" Ino asked carefully.

"I suppose I'm expecting too much. I know he used to have a crush on me. You can't expect people's feelings not to change, can you?" Sakura glanced at Ino, "He always cares about me, probably since I am his teammate and friend." Sakura kept her gaze on her lap, avoiding Ino's inquiring glance. Ino would have pursued the topic further but she knew it wasn't the right time to talk about it since she also had the same problem. It would seem unfair for both of them. Ino suddenly stood up from her seat, drawing Sakura's attention.

"Just help me with the groceries, will you? I nearly forget my family also invites the Akimichis and that makes a lot of food to cook"

Relieved from the change of the topic, Sakura smiled and stood on her feet to help her friend.

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Few days passed smoothly without much incident especially in the Uchiha compound. The heir of Uchiha clan could be seen in the backyard of Uchiha Manor in the early morning. Today was rather hot and dry despite few days ago were raining heavily, traces of the heavy rain days ago had long gone. It seemed the summer was going to start soon. The sun was high on the sky, radiating its heat to the surface of the earth. Sasuke wisely stood under the shades where the temperature was much cooler and remained untouched by the sunlight. He was staring impassively at the clear blue sky with some white clouds swimming through the endless ocean. He could feel the warm breeze tickling his face.

He rarely noticed the change in the weather, especially in season. Time seemed to pass swiftly as he always busied himself with missions and training. The weather didn't hold much meaning for him, only to remind him to put the change of weather into his calculation, how it would affect the missions and training. He didn't care much, but today he couldn't afford not to care. He was dismissed from his duties since what happened to his subordinates and mostly his health. He was told to take a few days rest at least before returning to resume his duties, especially it was the beginning of summer. The latter reason made no sense to him, it wasn't good enough for a reason to make him rest. He got the feeling that Godaime had done it on purpose. So there he was, staying at home without anything much to do (he was not allowed to train either, the 'advice' surprisingly came from Hinata). Even though he could be stubborn at his old times when he was told to stay idle, the thought of vengeance always made him ignore it. But this time he knew better when to comply.

What bothered him most, was the fact that he didn't mind with the break. He wasn't the type who liked to stay idle or in this case stay at home. The recent events truly occupied his mind, making him think over about everything. Things that usually he chose to ignore without giving another thought.

Sasuke didn't need long time to recover because one, he healed rather faster than most people and mere fever couldn't easily defeat him and two, Hinata treated him well. While he was sick, Sasuke experienced first-hand how Hinata looked after her patients. It seemed the soft-spoken Hinata was gone replaced with serious and proficient Hinata. She didn't even hesitate to order him around for his own sake. She was kind of reminding him of Sakura that way.

When Hinata wasn't around, he took a walk around the Manor and realized some difference or change within the Manor. The house was much cleaner and tidier. The furniture was rearranged making it more comfortable. And the biggest change was the garden in the back of the Manor that used to be untreated now seemed more lively and beautiful with many colorful and scented flowers. It truly surprised and amazed him when he discovered that. The garden used to be taken care by his mother and after the clan's massacre, he didn't bother to look after the garden. There were too many memories of his mother there, Mikoto often spent her time in the garden, tending the plants and flowers. When he saw the revived garden, memories of his deceased mother came flooding his mind. Strangely, he didn't feel pain or sadness like he used to be, only comfort and peace. Since then, he often went to enjoy the relaxing sight in the backyard.

"Never bother to take the front door anymore," suddenly Sasuke spoke to no one, "…Naruto?"

As if on cue, a certain blond-haired teammate of him appeared from the rooftop, landed right next to the Uchiha heir.

"Haha, not really," Naruto grinned sheepishly, "I just thought you wouldn't mind. It's not as if you wouldn't notice anyway"

"Is that what future Hokage do? Getting into people's houses without permission?" Sasuke twitched his eyebrow to his best friend. That struck a point to Naruto, rendering the usual loud and obnoxious young man speechless.

"Okay okay, you got a point there," Naruto waved both of his hands as a sign he surrendered, "Your reaction was the same with Hinata-chan. So that makes two"

Sasuke merely looked at Naruto, "Sakura?"

"At first she did mind, but then she doesn't seem to mind anymore," Naruto shrugged casually.

Somehow Sasuke found it was an interesting fact for him. He changed the topic though,

"So, what brings you here?"

"Can't just I visit my best friend?" Naruto frowned, a little annoyed yet amused at the same time.

"Ah," there came the one word answer. Sasuke returned his attention toward the greens in the garden.

"Wow," Naruto whistled, "You have a nice garden here. Hinata-chan did a good job, it seems"

Sasuke glanced at Naruto when he heard him mentioning Hinata. Naruto without looking at Sasuke explained, "She loved gardening. She often buys seeds in Ino's shop. You must see her garden in the Hyuuga compound. It's very nice though this garden is also as nice as that one now"

"You don't have any mission?"

"Nah, I am relieved from duty for a while. Tsunade-baba thought Konoha's ANBU and especially the captains worked too much. So we are given a full week day off during the first week of summer. I bet she didn't tell you.

"That's why I'm here, I'm thinking of team 7 going to the festival together tonight. Hinata-chan can come too," Naruto told him enthusiastically. Sasuke eyed his brother figure carefully,

"…Alright, I'll go. I'll ask Hinata to come with us together"

"Really?" Naruto's cerulean eyes widened in delight, "That's great! Let's meet at the festival's entrance at 7." He jumped excitedly like a child given a present.

"I'll go tell Sakura," Naruto had taken the stance to leap over the wall.

"Don't be late like Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke spoke in teasing manner.

"Naah, I won't," Naruto stuck out his tongue, "Ja! See ya tonight! Say hi to Hinata-chan!"

A small smile graced Sasuke's lips, looking at the Uzumaki's antics. Naruto might be one of the strongest shinobi in Konoha, Fourth Division ANBU captain, gained the respect and acknowledgement he had been striving for, but some things still remained the same. Sasuke shook his head lightly, sadness could be seen outlining his features.

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"Going to the festival tonight?"

Hinata made sure she heard correctly. When she came home after buying some groceries since their supply was running low, she found Sasuke waiting in the kitchen. Sasuke, being as straightforward as he was, he asked her about going to the festival that was going to be held tonight. She was so surprised and confused with the sudden question, Sasuke could be much unexpected at times. But she could notice that he meant what he asked so she simply answered truthfully,

"I suppose I'll go if you go too"

"…Alright then. You have your yukata?"

"Hai, we'll go with Naruto and Sakura?" Hinata guessed.

"Hn, we'll meet at the entrance at 7"

Hinata simply nodded while she was thinking what made Sasuke want to go to the festival. Sasuke didn't seem to be a type of person who liked to go to festivals. She never saw Sasuke in the festivals as she often went to the festivals, either with her mother, her sister or her teammates. Well, probably he did but she didn't see him. When she heard sound of the chair against the floor, she instinctively looked at the source. Sasuke stood from his seat and was about to leave. She decided to voice her thoughts before he left.

"May I ask a question?" she asked, rather hesitantly.

"…Go ahead," he replied, his face remained impassive.

"Why do you choose to go?"

"Can't I?"

"Iiie," Hinata shook her head, "It's just you don't seem like to go to festivals"

"…I don't." His answer took Hinata by surprise.

"Naruto always wanted to go to the festivals but he was never able to go." Hinata knew what he meant.

"When we were team 7, we hadn't had the chance to go there together. Even after we separated as we took different paths, with so many things happened we barely got together. He… wants to go with the people whom he regards as his family and friends… like most of the people who go to the festivals"

"I see…" her eyes softened in understanding, "I'll ask Kakashi-san too then, probably he can come too. I heard from Kurenai-sensei that Kakashi-san is relieved from duty"

"Ah," but Hinata could sense his agreement. Sasuke turned his back without another word. Thinking the conversation was over Hinata gone over the groceries bought. But then she vaguely heard he said,

"You've done a good job with the garden"

This time, unbeknownst to him, he left her utterly speechless.

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Hinata found herself once again fitting herself in front of the mirror, now dressed in a simple yet beautiful lavender yukata. Her yukata was adorned with lavenders with its petals carried by the wind. It was her favorite yukata that she always wore in the summer to remember her mother. The last time her mother took her to the festival was to the tanabata festival that was held in every beginning of summer and this yukata was her mother's favorite. It had been a while since she wore this yukata, she had been very busy so she missed summer festivals. At last she had the chance of wearing this again. She had her hair in an elegant bun held by the same hair pin she wore at the dinner. When she thought she was good enough, she walked to the door and greeted the person who was leaning his back to the wall opposite of the door. His eyes were closed and his arms were folded in front of his chest.

"I'm sorry, did I take too long?" Hinata asked apologetically.

"No," Sasuke opened his dark onyx eyes. He was wearing a simple dark blue yukata and to Hinata's surprise there was no symbol of Uchiha clan on the back. She masked her surprise.

Meanwhile, in the same time, Sasuke was studying his wife silently. It was the second time he saw her clad in other than her usual clothes. Different with the first time he saw her in a kimono for the Hyuuga dinner, this time he noticed that she seemed to be more relaxed. When he noticed her yukata, he couldn't help to think about his mother. Lavenders. Her mother's favorite flower. He couldn't help to notice the similarities between Hinata and Mikoto.

"Let's go then," Hinata smiled kindly to him. Sasuke nodded slightly and they went together to the festival.

At the appointed place, Hinata could made two familiar figures in front of the entrance, the taller one was waving his hand to them. She could easily figure it out who it was.

"Hinata-chan! Sasuke!" the loud voice only belonged to one person. Naruto was wearing a yellow and orange yukata that was -surprisingly enough- not too bright; probably it was related to the young woman standing beside him. While Sakura was standing beside her was wearing a beautiful pink yukata, and she had her hair in an elegant bun, leaving some of the front locks falling freely.

"Naruto-kun, Sakura, have you waited long?" Hinata asked when they approached their friends.

"Nah, we've just arrived here," Sakura smiled, "It just took so long for this person to pick the right yukata that I needed to help him." She pointed Naruto with her right thumb, Naruto simply grinned sheepishly.

"I had just remembered that I didn't have any yukata. The only yukata I had was already overgrown, so I bought new one for today. Luckily Sakura was there to help"

Sakura merely rolled her eyes, but Hinata could see that Sakura didn't mind with it. She noticed Sakura seemed rather happy probably enjoying the time they had together whilst picking the right yukata for Naruto. On her side, Sasuke watched his two former teammates in interest.

"Let's go, shall we?" Sakura was the one who took the initiative and dragged Naruto so they would move from the entrance. They were already blocking other people who wanted to go in to the festival. Hinata and Sasuke followed behind.

"Wooowww!" Naruto's eyes widened in amazement. It had been a long time since he went to any festival. The only and last festival he went to was the festival to pay respect to the Yondaime. It didn't end up well, afterwards he never again went to festivals. He didn't remember much about the festival. So he couldn't help to be amazed with the decoration and the booths in the festival. The only lighting came from paper lanterns that were hanging from the cables and from the booths. He could see a booth that was selling many kinds of masks, a booth that sold sweets, a booth where people needed to catch a fish with a round paper stick. His eyes gleamed in anticipation,

"Come on, let's go! I want to try that catching fish booth!" Naruto exclaimed loudly. Sakura needed to restrain him so he would still act like an adult, because obviously right now, Naruto was acting like a child.

"You both can go everywhere you want. I'll take care of Naruto," Sakura told them with a wave of her hand in a sign they shouldn't worry.

"Alright. Have fun you two," Hinata simply smiled to them. Sakura gave them a grateful look, and in the end, she was getting dragged by Naruto to the booth he meant. Hinata and Sasuke watched as their friends disappeared among the crowds of the booth. Hinata blinked few times,

"That was pretty much of a sight. Naruto seemed like a child," she chuckled.

"Hn. No one will think that he is an ANBU captain"

There was a moment silence, Hinata moved her gaze to Sasuke whose gaze remained on the booth where both of his closest friends had gone to.

"Do you want to go anywhere, Sasuke?" Hinata asked gently. Sasuke at last moved his gaze toward Hinata.

"Where do you want to go?"

"I want to go to the shrine," Hinata only saw Sasuke slightly nod and without a word they walked in leisure pace to the shire that was in the front end of the festival. They didn't exchange words, Sasuke was glad for that. As his eyes wandered around the festival, he saw a family chatting happily with each other. He looked at them, he couldn't help to be reminded of the family he had before the massacre. Involuntarily, an image of him together with his older brother flashed through his mind, he went together with him to the festivals, both wearing yukata and he had a piggyback ride. He flinched slightly at the memory, then turned his attention to the path ahead. Hinata didn't fail to notice that. After some fleeting silence, Hinata spoke softly,

"Is that why you never come to the festival anymore?"

Sasuke looked at Hinata, his face remained impassive, but being a keen observer, Hinata noticed the surprised look that crossed over his features.

"Too many memories of _him_?" Hinata spoke carefully, knowing it was still a sensitive subject for him. Sasuke didn't reply, Hinata could see he tensed after she mentioned Itachi.

"…You haven't let it go then," it was more a statement. Hinata returned her gaze to the path ahead, slowly the small shrine in the end of the path could be seen.

"Isn't it tiring?" For the first time from all the conversation Hinata looked straight at Sasuke. Her eyes were gentle, "Anger… hatred… all of those emotions… What does it bring? Satifaction? Or more pain?"

She walked to a small booth to ask for some paper to make wishes. She took the papers and muttered thanks to the miko. She returned to Sasuke's side,

"It's always hard to forgive, but it's never impossible"

"What do you mean?" Though he seemed a little angered with Hinata's words, his voice cold and bitter, Hinata noticed.

"Remember the good times instead the bad ones…" Hinata looked at the shrine a small smile on her lips, "… I used to go to the festivals with my mother… Tanabata was the last festival we went to. She always wore a beautiful and elegant lavender yukata, she always looked beautiful wearing it. She made the same yukata for me and we would go together to festivals wearing this yukata…"

"…After she died, never again I went to the festivals… It reminded me so much of her, painfully reminded me that she was gone forever. I didn't know what made me go to the festivals once again… All I want is to remember her, I want to relive all the memories I have with her," Hinata caressed her yukata dearly as it held a lot of memories for her,

"It was painful at first, but as the memories returned… every memory that I have with her ease my pain, knowing she would always comfort me. Slowly, I return to visit the festivals again. What's in the past is in the past. Nothing we can change about it. All we can do is to learn to forgive, to make peace with our past for our present…our future," she looked at Sasuke sadly,

"If not… then we won't be able to move on, living in the past where we have no control of. Your brother had done what can't be forgiven, that's true. But I doubt there is truly no good memory of him at all. Then instead remembering all of his faults, why don't you start remembering all the times you spent together, as brothers?"

Even though how much Sasuke didn't want to admit that, he indeed _had_ good times together with his brother. And it wasn't few, one of them was the memories of the festivals. His father, Fugaku didn't often bring his children to festivals since he thought it was rather a waste of time for the children, being a strict father he was. However, Itachi would sneak out between his training time to the festivals, bringing him along. Itachi would buy him things and sometimes won prizes from the booths. They would walk around the festival, sometimes him carried on the elder's shoulders.

Hinata smiled in understanding as she saw Sasuke's face softened, she had seen the brothers together when she was a child. She could see their affection to each other and she knew Itachi cared for his brother in those peaceful days. She couldn't help but wonder what made the elder do the unforgivable, leaving his brother in such a state. She shook her head slightly, and looked at her husband. She smiled a bit, knowing that he got what she meant. Then she decided to make the atmosphere lighter.

"Why don't we make a wish?" Hinata handed him a blank paper that would be written down and hung on the bamboo tree as Tanabata tradition.

Sasuke looked at the paper blankly, he hadn't done this for a long time. He did this when he was still a child who believed that wishes could come true. As he grew older and bitter caused by all of his painful experience, he started to forget and doubt about having wishes and dreams. All he knew was the cruel and harsh reality where there was no such thing as dreams and wishes but he knew better when he saw Naruto. A barely visible smile appeared on his face, probably it wasn't wrong to make some wishes.

Hinata had finished writing her wishes on the paper and was about to hang the paper on the bamboo tree branch when she realized that Sasuke was doing the same on higher branch. She inadvertently had a good view of what was written on his paper.

Hinata was surprised to see the wish written on his paper,

_I want to learn to trust and forgive_

When she raised her head, her pale ivory eyes met his dark onyx eyes. There was something in his eyes that Hinata never saw before, but she couldn't really place it.

"Will you teach me?" his voice was calm. Hinata was caught a little off guard with the simple request and understood the look in his eyes meant. Sasuke was taking a step to leave his past and start walking to live in present and for the future. She gave him a gentle and understanding smile that gave him warm feeling and made him return the smile unconsciously.

"Of course I would."

Under the beautiful starry sky of Tanabata, wishes were made and silent understanding was passed between them. They were no more strangers to each other.

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Author's Note: Ah, the longest chapter I've ever made! And I made it between my busy schedule… That's pretty surprising, it seems writing fanfic has become some sort of escape from the boring lectures and home works. I spend more time in front of computer than before and I open more windows for internet, word, etc. I miss some of my reviewers… it seems most of them disappear after the school started. T-T Oh how much I miss them… Just leave a review guys, you know who you are. And for those who are new here, to check my responses to your review you can go to my blog through my profile. I hope this chapter is satisfying enough for all of you. 


	11. Of Choices

Hello, everybody! Glad to be back with another update! Sorry for the delay… I was mourning for my awful grades in Physics and Calculus… truly… Then I was lifted up by the news that my other grades are much better, lifting my spirits in an instant and I finished the new chapter only in three days. Surprisingly, another long chapter. In anxiousness, without rereading it I send the new chapter to my beta. Thank you SHaPbY and ilychluna for the encouraging and positive reviews of the new chapter. I hope all of you find the chapter satisfying as both of my friends did. Standard disclaimer applies to this chapter.

Audriel proudly presents

**What Are We?**

**Of Choices**

The night had fallen, darkness surrounded the village of Konoha as if a curtain had been pulled over the village to obscure the light. It was totally dark, there was no star and the moon was hidden behind dark clouds. The only source of light was the street lamps and the lights coming from the villagers' houses. Within the darkness, a lean figure could be seen jumping over the rooftops stealthily and landed noiselessly in front of a door of an apartment at the second floor of a building. The figure opened the door carefully and tried to sneak inside the apartment without being noticed. He seemed to do a good job as he got to the dark living room –also dining room- safely until suddenly the lights were turned on and an all-too-familiar voice spoke from behind him, making his body tensed in apprehension.

"Well well, who comes home late today?"

The person hesitantly turned himself toward the owner of the voice who appeared to be a beautiful woman. An irritated one. If one noticed how she cocked an eyebrow and folded her hands over her chest, the person must know he/she was in a serious trouble. And this man, who appeared wearing jounin uniform and mask covering his lower face knew the fact very well –too well, indeed-

"…Uh, tadaima, Koishii," the copy nin tried to ease his wife's anger, yet it didn't seem to work on the red-eyed beauty.

"Didn't you promise to come home early today? Where have you been?" the kunoichi was only wearing a night dress under her robes instead of her usual jounin outfit, although she didn't seem less menacing without kunai or senbon at hand.

"I can explain-" Kakashi spoke rather awkwardly, which was amazing considering he had fought with many dangerous shinobi and had no fear for them, yet he was powerless in front of his spouse.

"Then explain. I'm here to listen," Kurenai tapped her foot impatiently.

"Well, it's Gai and Anko. The jounins decided to have some drink and they started a lot of commotion-"

"-In which you can avoid easily, like you always does," and she continued before her husband spoke anything else, "Don't reason that you can't just leave them. You should've known it won't go peacefully with Anko and Gai around and instead of accepting their offer, you could've remembered your promise and turned it down. Anything else to say?"

Kakashi knew better to keep his mouth shut. Besides, he knew Kurenai was right, he could've refused but he didn't. He almost forgot his promise completely and his irritated wife couldn't be more irritated. It was the dinner they had been waiting for, he truly felt guilty down inside.

"I can ask for a day off tomorrow, Godaime will understand. Besides, I haven't used my leave for this year," Kakashi tried to make it up for his beloved. Kurenai's face slightly softened though her eyes still had the irritated look.

"I'll think about it," then she turned sharply to their bedroom that wasn't far from the living room. Before Kakashi could follow her, a pillow was thrown right at his face.

"For now, you're gonna sleep outside tonight," and the door slammed shut, leaving a stunned Kakashi, the pillow fell with a thud on his feet.

I

I

I

Konoha Hospital was one of the most peaceful place in Konoha and the busiest after the Hokage Tower. In early mornings, the hospital was rather quiet, only few people could be seen around, either visitors or medic nin who had early shift. A man could be seen walking along the deserted hallway. He was wearing black high-collared shirt with sleeves reaching his elbows and matching pants. Bandages could be seen wrapping his arms and knee. He had utility pouch along with him yet he wasn't wearing any hitai ate, allowing his spiky raven bangs fell relentlessly. He stopped in front of a certain room with a name plaque on it written **Takamori**. He knocked twice and soon he got answer from the occupant of the room,

"Come in"

He opened the door to find that the person he was about to visit wasn't alone, he was accompanied by a kind-looking woman whom he recognized as Takamori's wife. Meanwhile, Takamori was sitting on his bed, a smile appeared on his face as he saw who came,

"Taichou"

Out of courtesy, Sasuke bowed his head slightly toward the woman who politely returned his greetings. She didn't seem to be bothered with his past much, which suited his husband compassionate nature.

"Am I bothering you?" the ANBU captain returned his gaze to his vice captain.

"No, you don't. Sachiko…" he glanced at his wife who understood what he meant easily. She excused herself, leaving them alone.

"I heard you're allowed to leave," it was Sasuke who started the conversation, being a straightforward person he was.

"Yes, I heard the others too. Are they well?" Takamori replied, it seemed he was already used to Sasuke. The Uchiha heir simply nodded. Then there was silence. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence but it wasn't a comfortable one either. It seemed there was something hanging in the air.

"It wasn't your fault," the silence was broken by the calm voice of Takamori, "You know it wasn't. You've done your best"

Sasuke didn't say anything, he simply stood still in his place, his face remained impassive.

"It's just we're not strong enough and we probably wouldn't make it if you weren't there," his eyes softened, "You shouldn't be too hard to yourself"

Sasuke avoided to look directly at his subordinate and stared to outside the window instead.

"The others said the same"

Takamori simply smiled and followed his gaze to the view outside.

"It seems we know you better than you thought"

Sasuke didn't say anything in return, instead he walked toward the door, Takamori's eyes never left his back.

"I'll see you on duty, Takamori"

"You will, Taichou." Without looking back, the sixth division ANBU captain left.

Meanwhile, Hinata was on early shift in the children ward again since most nurse chose next shift. Fortunately for her, there weren't many patients. Most of the children were already awake, a nurse was checking for some children status, while another medic was attending a child. When Hinata came to the ward, there was girl sitting close to the window, not noticing her presence. Hinata approached her quietly, and sat on her bed right beside her.

"It's a beautiful morning today, isn't it?"

The girl seemed startled and instinctively looked at Hinata who was smiling kindly to her. She seemed embarrassed that she was caught off guard, her cheeks reddened and somehow she found the hospital tiles interesting. Hinata hid a smile, the girl reminded her of herself, her former self that she believed still there though didn't surface as often as before.

"Ohayo, Ayu. How do you feel today?" she took a clipboard that was placed on the table beside the bed.

"I-I'm fine, t-thank you," Ayu stammered. Hinata examined her status in a glance, the girl was young, 8 years old. She got into an accident causing some burns on her body, though not seriously. Ayu had some bandages over her arms.

"Let's open the bandages, shall we?" Hinata put down the clipboard, and tilted the girl's head using her finger.

"W-Will it hurt?" Ayu seemed afraid, it was no doubt the accident pretty much shaken her.

"No, it won't. I promise," Hinata smiled comfortingly, "Give me your hand"

Ayu gave Hinata a look of uncertainty though in the end she let her arms to be examined. Hinata removed the bandages carefully, revealing a smooth skin without any trace of the burns though there was some red marks that would disappear with time. She ran a hand over where the burns should be gently on both arms.

"Everything's alright, your arms have healed completely. You can leave this afternoon," Hinata told her. The girl perked up in delight as she heard the good news.

"Next time, be more careful. Alright?" Hinata patted Ayu affectionately and was about to check on other patients when familiar loud voices greeted her.

"Ohayo, Hinata-neechan!" Hinata could easily recognized the children, it was the youngest son of Hattori, the only daughter of Tanaka and a young Inuzuka who had such tendency to get hurt in various occasion even inside the village until it was hard not to remember them.

"Ohayo minna. What did you do until you ended up here again?" Hinata arched an eyebrow and folded her hands, "I thought I told you I didn't want to see you here anymore"

"Hehehe," it was their only response as their scratched their heads and grinned sheepishly. Hinata resisted the urge to roll her eyes in exasperation to the kids' behavior and chose to examine the children instead.

"Come on, let's see what you have done this time," Hinata motioned the children to return to their beds to be examined. The children merely giggled as they took their beds. Soon her attention was so focused on the children that she didn't notice there was a newcomer standing near the door.

Sasuke decided to give a visit to Hinata after he visited his subordinates, he vaguely remembered today was her shift. He found out that she had an early shift at the children ward after asking to the information center whose nurse suddenly became awkward when he asked. He could even feel her eyes not leaving his figure without trying to hide her squeal of delight. He had no difficulty in finding the ward, he could hear the children's loud and energetic voices and followed the source. He found Hinata easily, she was wearing a medic nin white coat, her hair held in a bun. She was surrounded by children who were trying to get her attention while she was examining them.

Sasuke decided to watch, he leaned on the doorframe and saw how Hinata took care of the children. She patiently tried to make them comfortable and still at the same time. She answered their inquiries while examining the children. She didn't seem to have any difficulty in handling them. In some occasions, Sasuke saw his wife laughed along the children. The fact surprised him, for he rarely saw her laugh. He realized that she never laughed so openly like she was with the children around him.

However, Sasuke noticed that her laugh was different with most females. He had seen and heard how most females laughed, mostly it was high-pitched, loud, and sometimes heard as if it was forced. But Hinata was different, her laughter was rather polite, quiet and sincere. It sounded like ring of bells and it made those who heard her laughter felt warm and at ease. He narrowed his eyes slightly, there was a glimpse of sadness in his eyes.

Hinata finished examining the children who pouted as she ended her examination. Then she didn't fail to notice a new presence whose chakra signature she recognized well. Hinata looked at the person who was leaning on the doorframe casually in concealed surprise,

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke straightened up after his presence was noticed and gave her a slight nod. The children soon were taken by interest as they saw the newcomer who was seemed to be an acquaintance of their favorite _nee-chan_. Their gazes switched between the man and the medic nin.

"Hinata-neechan, who is he?" one of the children managed to ask on behalf of them.

"Oh-" Hinata was a little caught off guard, "He's my husband, Sasuke"

The result was instantaneous, the children's eyes widened in surprise and their mouths gaped open. The other nurse and medic nin who were in the same room seemed to give their attention toward her direction despite their gazes were still on their patients. There was only stunned silence, so Hinata decided to approach Sasuke.

"You surprised them," Sasuke spoke matter-of-factly.

"I noticed. And for once, they are completely silent. Probably I should do this more often." Sasuke merely glanced at the woman in front of him. "You have visited them?" Hinata asked him gently.

"Hn," the usual short answer, Sasuke removed his gaze toward the children.

"What did they say?" Hinata looked at the children who had recovered from their shock and talked seriously among themselves –who knew what they were talking about.

"…They said it wasn't my fault. I had done my best. I shouldn't be too hard to myself," the raven haired man summarized. Hinata had an understanding smile, her eyes softened.

"They understand you well." Sasuke didn't reply, the silence was enough as an answer for Hinata, "So… what are you going to do today? There's no mission yet"

Sasuke pondered over this for a while, he could train as usual like he always did on his day off. Though probably it was no harm if he did something different today.

"Are you busy today?" Sasuke asked Hinata instead.

"No, not really. I only have early shift in the hospital today. I'll be free before noon," Hinata answered indifferently, thinking it was just him trying to make a conversation.

"How about lunch?" Even he wasn't looking at Hinata, he could sense her surprise as she turned to look at him. Hinata blinked few times to make sure she wasn't hearing things. But before she could say anything else, the children had stood in front of them, their faces showed mixed emotions, from curiosity from suspicion. The couple's attention was diverted to the children who were no taller than them.

"Are you really Hinata-neechan's husband?" the young Inuzuka was brave enough to ask that question. Hinata gave a sidelong glance at Sasuke, somehow she felt some kind of emotion coursing through her. What did she expect?

Meanwhile, Sasuke only looked at the young boy who asked that question without blinking and the boy seemed a little discouraged and had cold sweat on his face having such a cold impassive eyes looking down at him.

"Yes, I am," Sasuke replied with his usual tone. He caught Hinata's gaze from the corner of his eyes for a flicker of a moment. Fortunately for both Sasuke and Hinata, the medic nin and nurse came to the rescue.

"Children, return to your beds," the medic nin whom Hinata recognized as Yukiko motioned the protesting children to their beds. Yukiko gave Hinata a wink and mouthed 'Go' in which she decided to follow.

"Let's go, then," Hinata led Sasuke out from the ward and let out a silent sigh after they were far enough from the children.

"Um," Hinata looked at Sasuke hesitantly, "I need to change first"

"I'll wait at the entrance," Sasuke simply nodded.

True to his words, after Hinata got changed, she found Sasuke waiting at the entrance.

"Where do you want to go?" Hinata asked as they left the hospital.

"Where do you want to?" Sasuke asked instead. Hinata who was now more used to with the more open up Sasuke –even though not as open up as he was with his genin teammates- merely nodded and showed him the way to her favorite place.

Ring of a bell greeted them as they walked into the simple restaurant. The first impression Sasuke had as he scanned the place in a brief glance was the place was warm and cozy, welcoming every guest that came. The waitress seemed to know Hinata, without further inquiry they were seated close to the window over viewing the busy street of Konoha. After they seated themselves and spoke their orders, Hinata initiated a conversation,

"I come here often either by myself or with the girls." She could remember clearly that the last time she came here Sakura nearly broke down the table talking of certain man who was ironically sitting right in front of her.

Sasuke nodded slightly as the information sank in, "It's not bad"

Hinata smiled a little to the compliment, glad that her husband liked the place. Soon a glass of fresh orange juice and a cup of coffee arrived on their table. Hinata muttered a polite thanks to the waiter.

"Coffee?" Hinata frowned a bit with his choice of beverage. Her husband's onyx eyes looked at her as she mentioned his order.

"It's not that I mind," the Hyuuga heiress spoke quickly, "It's just drinking coffee too much won't be good for your health. Caffeine does keep you awake, but it's better to avoid it." Sasuke didn't say anything, merely sipping his coffee quietly.

"…The children seem to dislike me," he spoke monotonously without looking at Hinata, "After they knew I'm your husband"

Hinata was caught off guard with the statement, a slight worried frown appeared on her face. "They don't know you," she spoke after a while, "They'll like you when they get to know you. In their mind, they expect someone…" She couldn't bring herself to say it.

"…Different?" It was Sasuke who continued for her. Hinata didn't answer nor look at him, knowing it was right. She felt guilty inside, she shouldn't have brought it up. She glanced carefully toward the man in front of her and saw his attention was elsewhere but her. Their lunch went completely in silence afterwards. Several times Hinata tried to speak up but she always failed to. However, she managed to speak before they left the restaurant.

"Sasuke…" Hinata tried to find his gaze, "You're really too hard to yourself. _Don't_ be."

The Uchiha heir didn't give away any reaction, Hinata looked at him sadly then she decided to leave the topic,

"This morning, Kurenai-san called. She invited us to dinner tonight in her and Kakashi-san's apartment. Would you like to come? If not I could tell her we can't join her"

For the first time after the long silence, Sasuke's gaze met Hinata's, "No, it's fine. We can come to the dinner." He had another reason why he wanted to come.

"Alright then," Hinata settled the matter.

I

I

I

The door was surprisingly opened by former team 7 sensei himself, his eyes turned into crescent as he saw the young married couple in front of his doorsteps. He was still wearing the mask that covered his lower face though he was wearing more casual clothes and without any shinobi tools or hitai ate, revealing his usually concealed Sharingan eye.

"Welcome welcome. You come right on time," Kakashi motioned them to get inside.

After they got inside Kakashi locked the door close, Hinata handed him a box of handmade cookies she made along with a bouquet of red roses that was Kurenai's favorite flowers,

"Thank you for the invitation"

"Ah, you shouldn't bother yourself, Hinata," though he accepted it in the end, there

was affection in his eyes, "Kurenai is still cooking in the kitchen. Just take a seat and make yourself comfortable, she'll finish in no time," knowing that Hinata probably would offer her help and Kurenai wouldn't like her student and guest to help. Hinata understood what he meant so instead she and Sasuke headed to the dining room.

Not long afterwards, the beautiful kunoichi appeared from the kitchen taking off her apron. Her eyes widened in delight as she approached Hinata. She gave an affectionate hug to her only female student.

"Hinata. It's nice to see you. How are you doing?" Kurenai caressed Hinata gently like a mother did.

"I'm fine, Kurenai-san. Thanks for the invitation," Hinata couldn't help not to return the warm smile, "I hope we're not bothering you and Kakashi-san?"

"Nah, don't worry. Besides we want to know about you two, it's been a while, you know," Kurenai waved her hand dismissively, noticing the worried look of her former student.

"Be seated, dinner is going to be served," Kurenai pushed Hinata toward the table. Sasuke had seated himself and was already talking with Kakashi who sat in the opposite side of him. Hinata's lips curved into a small smile to see the two interact, Kakashi was the closest father figure Sasuke had, it was no wonder to see him talk much to him. Hinata seated herself beside Sasuke and helped Kurenai to arrange the table.

The dinner was delicious, Kurenai was indeed a good cook and the atmosphere was warm and comfortable. Most of the time Kurenai asked them about anything but nothing too personal and sometimes Kakashi added into the conversation, sometimes serious, sometimes not. There are times when Kurenai slapped him playfully, acting as if she was annoyed. Hinata could barely restrain to laugh to see the married jounin couple bickering, bantering playfully. She must admit they looked so great together. She didn't fail to notice the hidden smile Sasuke had as he watched the couple who were their parents' figure. Not only that, she also realized he seemed more relaxed, less tense unlike he was around most people, as if lowering his defenses.

It must be hard for him, living on his own in the quiet deserted Uchiha compound. Even though after they were married, it wasn't much different since both of them preferred silence more. It seemed this kind of occasion would be good for him, maybe another dinner with their senseis or teammates or both. Though when she thought of teammates a slight frown appeared, she could imagine Kiba and Shino's reaction if they were to have dinner together with Sasuke. Hinata must do something if she planned to do that.

After the dinner, Hinata went to help Kurenai with the dishes in which she insisted until the elder gave up and let her guest help her. Meanwhile, Sasuke approached his sensei who was enjoying the night breeze on the balcony that gave a clear view of the Hokage Memorial and the village. He was leaning on the railing, his elbow supported his weight and his other hand inside his pocket. The son of late Hatake Sakumo didn't react as Sasuke approached him, though Sasuke knew Kakashi sensed his presence.

"It's a peaceful night, isn't it?" Kakashi spoke while his gaze remained to the view.

"Ah," Sasuke stood right beside him, following his sensei gaze.

"How's the dinner?" Kakashi asked lightly.

"It's good," Sasuke replied, both knew it was sincere.

"But not as good as your wife's huh?" Sasuke could sense teasing in his tone of voice, though there was another reason why he asked.

Surprisingly, instead avoiding the question, Sasuke answered, "…It's different"

"How different?" Kakashi glanced at Sasuke, the teasing tone disappeared, changed into more serious tone.

"It's just… different," Sasuke thought for a while, "Kind of like her, simple, neat, good for health"

"I can imagine that," a smile hidden under his mask. There was a moment of silence before Kakashi spoke again, "It seems you're already getting along well"

"Does it seem so?"

"It does, better than we expect. We know you best and we're truly glad for it." Both of the grown men kept staring ahead, the younger one kept silent.

"Don't rush it. It'll come naturally," Kakashi hid a smirk, he could imagine his protégé gave him a skeptical look, "I had the same problem with Kurenai."

"…I've never thought of marriage honestly. I decided I'd be on my own 'til the end. It's the best choice of a shinobi who never knows will live to see the day. But it's just an excuse. A pathetic one," Kakashi chuckled.

"Because I was afraid, that if I am close to someone only to lose them… I've always had that fear… I always convinced myself it was better that way, even deep down inside I knew it wasn't true. Until she came.

"I almost forget how it feels to be loved, how it feels to be happy, surrounded by the people you love," even though it was dark Sasuke managed to see how Kakashi's face softened, "I still have that fear though. Sometimes I wonder if I have chosen the right decision… But… it's worth it, it is really worth it. There is someone you can trust, someone you can share the burden, someone to ease the pain when everything seems too unbearable all by yourself.

"Death is inevitable. Our life is short, it's always been. But because of it life is precious. You can't let it pass away without making it meaningful," then he moved his gaze toward Sasuke, looking at him sharply.

"Why do you live? What for? Is it only for fulfilling your goal? Or something else? There's more to life other than fulfilling your goal. It's your job to find out by yourself," the former teacher-student had their gazes locked, neither of them blinking, "…It's yours to decide, Sasuke. Hinata is a good girl, I doubt you didn't notice"

It was Sasuke who broke the gaze first, "What do you want me to do?"

"Give her a chance. Give both of you a chance… to be happy"

Sasuke didn't answer, he let his eyes wander from the village below to the heavens above.

Hinata and Kurenai were talking as they washed the dishes, they talked about many things that a daughter usually talked to her mother. Though Hinata noticed that Kurenai didn't ask regarding her marriage with Sasuke, knowing she wasn't ready to talk about him and waiting until she was. As her thoughts were drifted to her husband, her gaze unconsciously directed at the figure who was standing tall beside the silver-haired jounin. It seemed they were caught up in a serious conversation. Her gaze lingered on his back for a while until she returned to the dishes once again. However, her action didn't go unnoticed by Kurenai.

"You're worried about him," it was a blunt statement from Kurenai, startling Hinata. Hinata who was caught off guard kept her gaze on the dishes. Kurenai's eyes softened, it was Hinata who always cared for others' well being.

"…He has opened up considerably," Hinata started, "He talks more than usual, sometimes he even initiates a conversation. We're in much better condition than we were in the beginning. Yet sometimes… I feel he's holding back…as if there is an invisible barrier that makes me hard to reach him, a barrier that only can be broken by him. He's trying, I know he's trying hard. I want to help him, but he doesn't let me. I suppose… he doesn't trust me enough." At last Hinata spoke up what was in her mind, letting a relieved sigh along.

"Hinata…" Kurenai looked at her concernedly.

"I know he won't give his trust easily. But it makes things more difficult, especially I can't reach him," Hinata finished cleaning the dishes, she took a towel to dry her hand.

"I'm worried. I am," Hinata admitted, "I'm afraid what will happen if he keeps like this. I'm afraid he leads himself to his own destruction." She held the cloth so tightly that her knuckles turn white. Images flashed through her mind, every single gesture, every single expression of Sasuke to her. Hinata knew he was a kind person, and it hurt her to see him like that.

On the balcony, the two figures stood still, unmoving. One had his eyes on the heavens above while the other had his gaze on the former. The only noise came from the rustling of the leaves and the howling of the wind.

"I… don't know," for once there was uncertainty in the young man's voice, the same man who seldom had doubts when he had a goal in mind, the same man whose faith rarely wavered. The elder looked at him in deep understanding, having been in the same position.

"I know it's not easy for you. It takes us years and a lot of life and death experience until we gain your trust completely. I don't expect Hinata to accomplish what we accomplished in years," Kakashi paused for a moment, "You must wonder why I am so persistent in this. Telling you not to rush things, yet saying things like this. The truth is… I'm worried, not only me but also the others, we're worried about you"

Sasuke slowly removed his gaze from the heavens toward his former sensei whom he held silent respect to, only to find him looking at him full of worry, fear and among them there was a hidden affection. Suddenly he felt very unworthy to have so many people worried over him as if he wasn't strong enough, he wanted to look everywhere but those eyes.

"It's not like you're not strong enough, Sasuke," Kakashi read him like a book, "Physically you're one of the strongest shinobi of Konoha, you've surpassed me in strength. But when it comes to here-" Kakashi laid a hand over his chest, "You're not. We won't be always there for you Sasuke when you need us most. But there will be someone who will be there, it won't be us, but it will be no other than your wife. That's the meaning of marriage."

Kakashi grasped Sasuke's shoulders firmly, his eyes stared directly at Sasuke's.

"If you keep like this, you'll eventually destroy yourself. _I_ don't want it to happen. _We_ don't want it to happen. _You_ don't want it to happen. Life is full of choices. Every choice has consequences. Consequences you need to take to move forward or to stay behind. The choice is yours, Sasuke…"

Sasuke understood well what Kakashi meant, he only lowered his head, unable to look him in the eye.

I

I

I

The walk home to the Uchiha Manor was completely silent, both had their minds occupied. Hinata was thinking of her own words to Kurenai. She remembered how worried Kurenai was, the kunoichi tried to comfort her, give her counsel the best she could, yet both of them knew it wouldn't work. Sasuke and Kakashi were indeed alike in some ways, but they were two different individuals with different characters and life experience. She looked furtively toward her husband who didn't speak a word after the dinner. It seemed whatever Kakashi told him was etched deep in his mind, she noticed how clouded and distant his eyes were. She didn't want to disturb him. There were things that Sasuke needed to accomplish by himself, without anyone's help.

Because of that, after they arrived at the Manor, Hinata served him a warm tea on the table then quickly excused herself to retreat to her room, giving him space with his own thoughts. Sasuke didn't fail to notice it, despite how occupied his mind was. His eyes silently followed his wife's retreating back until it disappeared from his vision. He looked down to the warm glass of tea in front of him, the distinctive scent of tea filled his nostrils, easing his mind a bit.

Sasuke rubbed his temple, every single word from the conversation he had with the elder shinobi was reverberating in his mind as clear as the day. Everything was too much for him, the depth of his words, the deep expression of concern on his face, the mixed emotion he had after he had the conversation. It was too much, he never felt so uncertain, so insecure in his life. He didn't know how long he remained in that position, his hands cupping his face.

After what he felt like hours, he stood up from his chair. His face seemed worn and tired, he took a deep breath and let it out. He wouldn't find the answer in a day, he knew. It would take time. Slowly he walked to the direction of his room. In his way, he passed Hinata's room and lingered in front of her room in uncertainty. He slid the door open enough for him to see his wife's sleeping figure. Hinata was wearing light blue yukata for sleep, her hair was braided and rested on her shoulder. Sasuke also realized that she only slept on one side of the futon, leaving the other side bare, probably out of habit or else.

His eyes was fixed on the vacant side of the futon, he could remember the time when he fell ill and Hinata was by his side all the time. He remembered her gentle touch, her soothing presence.

"_We won't be always there for you Sasuke when you need us most. But there will be someone who will be there, it won't be us, but it will be no other than your wife. That's the meaning of marriage."_

"_Are you really Hinata-neechan's husband?"_

"_Yes, I am"_

Instead of continuing to his destination, Sasuke slid the door close and walked inside the room without any noise. He moved toward the empty side of the futon and lay down beside his wife. He could smell the familiar scent of lavender and jasmine. He could feel his wife's soothing presence beside him. With those last thoughts, all of his previous thoughts were forgotten, he drifted into a deep and peaceful slumber.

* * *

Author's Note: So… what do you think? Satisfying? Boring? Confusing? Disappointing? Somehow for myself I think this chapter is rather emotional. SHaPbY told me the conversation between Kakashi and Sasuke was rather too poetic and unlike a man-to-man talk. Forgive me if it looks like that. I'm still learning here, I have some difficulty in that case. In this chapter, Sasuke had grown to accept his role as Hinata's husband thus building the foundation of their relationship. Tell me what do you think for this chapter and what should happen next, it'll be greatly appreciated for an amateur like me. Review! And oh, the last chapter's response is still in my blog, but starting from this chapter I'll try to reply your responses directly.


	12. Of Reliance

Phew, at last. This chapter is finished. –exhales a great amount of air and wipes off sweat on her brow- Well, not really like that, but this chapter was tough since I didn't touch the story until the end of semester **at all**. Gosh and in addition that my muse didn't come smoothly. I want to thank everybody who reviewed the last chapter, even only asking for an update XDD Though my greatest thank goes to SHaPbY who helped me with the story especially at certain scenes I had difficulty with (I'm glad you're always around, despite we rarely meet in campus) and Garowyn (oh yes it's you, mellon nin. Don't act all modest) my great great great great (variable x times) beta-reader. He noticed all the mistakes I made, so if you still notice mistake in it, it'll be mine, 'cause I kept some things that he told me to delete or edit. (Bad me huh?). So I hope you'll enjoy this chapter better. Standard disclaimer? Do I need to?

Audriel proudly presents

**What Are We?**

**Of Reliance**

"…that's the report for today"

Hinata ended her report of the hospital daily progress for the past four months. Her eyes were finally removed from the file on her hand to the current Hokage who was listening intently to her report. A satisfied smile appeared on her face.

"Well done. It seems your suggestion of changing the old system shows a lot of improvement. It reduces the stress level of the hospital staff and handles more patients with great sufficiency"

"You're exaggerating, Hokage-sama." Hinata couldn't help but blush, a habit that still remained after all the years, every time she was given a compliment.

"Don't be so modest, you know it's true," her pink-haired colleague, who stood next to her, elbowed her gently that she shyly reacted to.

"Sakura has a point there. I couldn't have done better," the former-medic-turned-Hokage arched an eyebrow perfectly while the smile remained.

"Well, I did suggest the changing, but when we were trying it out, it was Sakura who did most of the part." This time it was Hinata who threw a knowing look at Sakura, who shrugged it off. Tsunade simply smiled as she saw the playful banter exchanged between the two good friends and medics who were also her apprentices. She could remember as if it was just yesterday when she first trained them as her apprentices; now they had grown into beautiful and brilliant ladies. She couldn't help but feel herself well up with pride.

"Well, then both of you are dismissed. Have a nice weekend," she placed the new report on the highest stack of excellent reports.

"Yep, another long week has just ended!" Sakura spread her arms wide and filled her lungs with air. Hinata merely smiled at seeing Sakura's way of expressing her relief.

"A long week indeed," she agreed. Sakura eyed the Hyuuga heiress for a while before she decided to speak.

"However, I notice you seem happy somehow. Has anything good happened?" Always the keen one when it comes to her closest people, except when it related to certain things, Hinata noted.

"…You can say so." Hinata's face softened noticeably.

"Really? Mind if you share it?" Sakura took it as a good sign.

"Nope," Hinata refused with an air of mysteriousness though her eyes had a sparkle of mischief.

"Since when are you hiding things from me, huh?" the pink-haired kunoichi pouted, acting as if she was angry.

"Why not?" Then the two laughed comfortably. Sakura didn't mind because whatever it was, it must be a good thing. It had been awhile since she saw Hinata this happy after her marriage; it seemed the burden had lessened pretty significantly.

"I'll go home. Ja ne, Sakura-_chan._" Hinata was truly in a good mood.

"Ja! Send my greetings to your _dear_ husband," Sakura returned it evenly, even adding a wink in the end. Hinata merely chuckled and waved goodbye to the Haruno. She knew she was kidding, but she realized she had begun to accept the fact that Sasuke was her husband. Not merely a husband and wife by title or law.

Hinata slid the manor door open, and out of habit, she said 'Tadaima' as she stepped inside and headed to her room. She changed her medic outfit into her usual plain kimono and as she changed, her eyes found their way to a certain spot where she usually laid her futon. Her mind drifted to that morning. She had thought it would be the usual morning, waking up all alone and the other side of the bed would always be cold and empty. She didn't pay any heed about it until her hand happened to touch the other side of the bed, the side she always left vacant.

It was warm.

She couldn't believe it at first, but her keen eyes caught the faint crease that nearly went unnoticed and the lingering warmth on the futon. She couldn't be mistaken, but she went to his usual room to check. She found that the room hadn't been used for the night. She reached a conclusion that he indeed spent a night beside her, but woke up before her. She didn't know how to react at first and she didn't dare ask during breakfast so she left it unexplained.

Since then, she tried to be awake to find whether it was only for that night, only to find herself unable to resist sleep and wake up next to a warm side of the futon the next morning. She knew that since that night, never again would she sleep on her own. It was a good change; he had taken a step forward along their relationship. A small gentle smile adorned her features; it seemed it wouldn't be impossible to break the wall between them.

-o-O-o-

Sasuke was patrolling at the southern borders of Konoha in his usual routine. His team had received temporary substitutes for his injured subordinates. The truth was he objected with the decision because it would mean he would need to adapt with new people with whom he didn't know and trust. But he knew he had no choice in the matter; his division was among one of the most crucial divisions in ANBU and a shortage of members was not accepted. Fortunately, among the substitutes there was someone he knew: Inuzuka Kiba and talking of Inuzuka it wouldn't complete without their partner, Akamaru. He was supposed to be in the same division with Naruto that was responsible for missing nins. He seemed to know the other substitutes well.

Sasuke had a feeling that Naruto had a hand in this. The ebony-haired man didn't know whether to be grateful or not. Kiba was indeed among the few who had good relations with the Uchiha after his return whereas Kiba's other teammate, Aburame Shino, was the opposite. Kiba was also someone Sasuke could trust and he accepted Kiba as a replacement for vice-commander. However, Kiba was still the same, annoying Kiba, especially where the fact that he was Hinata's former teammate was concerned.

Sasuke raised a hand, signaling his subordinates that it was time to spread out for individual patrol, while he, returned to the watch tower that had become his division's base.

"Yo, Taichou!" Sasuke was greeted by familiar loud voice as soon as he landed on top of the tower. Sasuke glanced slightly toward the source of the voice to find a dog-masked ANBU standing next to him with a hand raised in greeting.

"Is there anything to report?"

"Not much, except Akamaru sniffed some interesting scent along the northern borders," Sasuke had the impression that the Inuzuka was grinning under the mask.

"Have you given out orders?"

"Yep, I've sent a team of four to check on it along with Akamaru"

"Good. Report for any change." He walked past Kiba to assume the usual position. For many people it seemed that Sasuke didn't care the slightest bit for his subordinates, but Kiba knew better.

"Aye." Kiba smirked. He had been dense in his genin days (even though he refused to admit that). But as time passed he grew more observant of his surroundings especially since his field required his full attention, though his observation skills couldn't be compared with his teammates, both Shino with his keen insight of people and Hinata with her bloodline limit. Kiba didn't trust the Uchiha at first after his return, but seeing how team 7 stood by his side all the time while they were supposed to be the ones hurt most with his leave, he reconsidered his judgment of the last Uchiha.

Sasuke wasn't much different from the old Sasuke he knew, the cold arrogant bastard, except that his arrogance was more due to his confidence, due to his knowledge of his own strength. However, he was also different. The old Sasuke still showed emotions to others, his cocky smirk, his snide remarks, and sometimes when he thought no one saw, he smiled along with them. This Sasuke… was more unreadable; he rarely showed any emotions or even spoke. There was something in the way he brought himself that made people didn't want to come near him. Because of it, Kiba couldn't fully trust him, but he learned that Sasuke was a reliable comrade and a Konoha shinobi that Kiba could trust with his life.

But not with Hinata.

In contrary of his bug user teammate's thought, Kiba realized that their marriage was more of an arranged marriage. He had tried to see what exactly the Uchiha thought of the marriage, he tried to get some reaction out of the stoic shinobi after the marriage, but he failed to. He had decided to keep an eye on Sasuke since he was married to Hinata. Kiba would not hesitate to beat the crap of him if he found any sign of unhappiness from Hinata, but he found none. He had to admit, Sasuke treated Hinata appropriately. He could barely believe the iceman was capable of doing that, but he had seen the fact right before his eyes to deny it. He gave a furtive glance towards his current captain.

Kiba was aware why Naruto suggested him to become the temporary substitute for the Sixth Division; he was among the few who could trust Sasuke and few whom Sasuke could trust (Kiba wasn't sure about the latter, though). The Inuzuka expected Shino to be among the few, but he knew better. The Aburame heir wasn't one who forgave and forgot easily despite he must have noticed the change in the last Uchiha. Shino wouldn't forget what happened when they tried to retrieve Sasuke from Oto nins and he couldn't forgive that their friends were close to death back then. Shino wasn't the only one. There was also the Hyuuga prodigy and a certain shadow user, though the latter was becoming more lenient to the last Uchiha.

_Oh well, it's not my problem. As long as Hinata is alright_, he shrugged it off nonchalantly and returned his attention to his duty as he sensed Akamaru's presence.

-o-O-o-

Days went peacefully for Hinata. There weren't many incidents happening. Shikamaru and Ino were officially engaged and their marriage date was coming closer, making them the first to follow their footsteps into married life. After the last dinner together in Hyuuga compound, she and Sasuke were invited again, but compared to the first dinner, it went rather well. She started to speak her mind instead of simply listening to others as Sasuke suggested, to gain more respect from the clan and it seemed it worked pretty well and even Shiruba rarely lashed back. Most importantly it seemed that Sasuke had built a good relationship with her family, especially her father. She caught them few times in serious discussion, the three of them, which included Sasuke, Hiashi and Neji. Her sister also participated in the discussion even only as an apt listener and she didn't miss the look of admiration in Hanabi's face, although she knew Neji's dislike toward her husband didn't vanish completely.

Hinata had once thought how her husband would fit into her clan when she was married. It would be difficult, considering the nature of the Hyuuga. As the heiress of the clan she must always consider her clan first before she made a decision, including marriage. However, in the end, it was the clan itself that made the decision for her by choosing Uchiha Sasuke. She silently objected, but it appeared it not might be a bad thing altogether. Sasuke was a good husband, and he would be a good leader for both of the clan and maybe… he would be a good father if given a chance to.

Sasuke visited his subordinates regularly, even after most of them were treated by their families at home. He always visited them even when the weather wasn't too kind. He only visited for a few minutes, exchanging few words, but she knew it was his kindness. When she was told of the temporary substitutes for his injured subordinates, she was surprised to find that her former genin teammate was one of them and they were getting along fine, not like she expected them not to. Nonetheless, she knew how protective Kiba could be.

Meanwhile, their relationship was growing steadier, they had gotten used to each other's presence and it could be said that they had gotten comfortable enough around each other, but not yet reaching the stage of true husband and wife should be. They barely touched unless needed, such as when they were sparring or when she was treating his injuries.

The peaceful days made Hinata truly feel content for the first time after her marriage. She felt that nothing could go wrong.

-o-O-o-

Hinata was on duty today, she was in charge of all the matters in the hospital since Shizune and Sakura were both sent on a mission. She was overlooking the shift schedule in the office when suddenly a medic nin burst into her office.

"Hinata-san! There's an emergency!"

"What's wrong?" Hinata quickly switched into her medic nin attitude, without wasting time she grabbed her white medic coat and put it on.

"A team of genin encountered missing nin and they were injured badly and one is in critical condition," the medic nin explained as they walked to the emergency ward, she was handed a brief report of the genins condition. Her ivory eyes widened as she found a name she recognized well.

"Hattori Anzo?" she asked, nearly in a whisper.

"Yes, it is his team. He's in the worst condition. He had his vital organs damaged and he lost too much blood"

Hinata could feel her heartbeat quicken as she listened to the brief explanation of the boy's condition. She bit her lower lip out of habit when she faced tight situations.

"I'll handle this one, you and the others handle the rest. I'll need Risa and Yuki to assist me," Hinata swiftly gave out orders.

"Hai!" the medic nin nodded an affirmative and headed to different direction.

Hinata soon reached the emergency ward where the badly wounded genin was going to be treated. She could see a small figure on the operation table and she took the place by his side. At first, she couldn't believe her eyes it was the same child who was always bright and cheerful. The boy in front of him was totally broken. He was covered up in bruises and small cuts. He had difficulty breathing with his injuries. His eyes were half-open and out of focus. She could feel her heart skip a beat when she saw his condition, but she faced it calmly like she always did.

"Anzo? Can you hear me?" Hinata saw slight reaction from the boy as his eyes blinked slowly and started to focus on her.

"H-hina-nee-chan?" Anzo recognized her, though she wasn't sure if he truly saw her or if he heard her voice.

"Yes, it's me," Hinata spoke gently and assuringly, "You're going to be alright, Anzo, but I need you to stay with me. Don't sleep. I know you're tired, but I need you to stay awake. Can you do that for me?" She saw him nod slightly.

"Good." She gave a gentle squeeze on his uninjured hand. Without wasting precious time, she gave out orders to the other medic nin to save the boy. She activated her Byakugan without any hand seals and examined the boy's condition thoroughly. She saw that the boy had internal bleeding and the blood was gathering in his abdomen, affecting other organs to a dangerous point. After he was given an anesthetic, Hinata started working on the worst injury using chakra scalpel swiftly and proficiently. She healed every injured blood vein or closed it temporarily using her chakra to stop the bleeding while her assistant was preventing the blood from gathering in his abdomen and causing damage to the other organs.

Hinata didn't allow herself to let her concentration falter, but at the corner of her eyes she watched warily the boy's condition on the monitor and what she saw wasn't a good sign. The boy's vital signs were dropping rapidly. She increased her speed in healing the boy. Suddenly a loud beep broke Hinata's concentration and she gave a brief glance toward the monitor that showed continuous flat line. Hinata checked his pulse, only to find none. Hinata's face hardened, her hand glowed green with chakra and she started giving minor electric shock from her hands to his heart in rapid succession.

_Hang on, Anzo. Don't give up on me. Not here. Not now._

-o-O-o-

It was late at night when finally Sasuke returned from his patrol duty.

"Tadaima," he spoke monotonously. He had started this small habit after he knew this time there would be someone who would answer his greeting instead of silence.

"Okaeri," came the reply from the direction of the kitchen. Sasuke walked to the kitchen to find his wife was making a rather late dinner. "You're early today." He could discern a faint smile on her face as her attention was still on the dinner.

"Isn't it a bit late to make dinner?" Sasuke chose to lean on the doorframe, his hands were folded in front of him, instead of sitting at the table.

"I've just returned from the hospital. There… are some things I needed to take care of." She turned off the stove and placed the warm food into two separate plates neatly along with two bowls of rice on the tray. Sasuke twitched his eyebrows slightly. There was something within the pause made him suspicious.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked while he watched the Hyuuga heiress arranging the table.

"…Do you remember the three children who were asking you questions? When you visited me in the children ward the first time?"

"…Yes" He noticed that she was avoiding his gaze and she had stopped when she spoke.

Sasuke noticed her old habit was threatening to surface. "One of them, Hattori Anzo… he was submitted to the hospital after his team encountered a missing nin during their mission. He was injured the worst… I… "she paused, "I was the one who took care of him directly…"

There was a poignant silence, before at last she spoke,

"…He died…" Sasuke's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"…He had severe wounds. He had already lost too much blood when he came… In the end, he couldn't be helped. We… I lost him." Her bangs hid her face from view. Before Sasuke could speak or even react, she continued calmly –too calmly-, "I was the one who delivered the news directly to his parents. His father accepted it better than his mother did… Afterwards I had to take care of the papers regarding of his death."

"Hinata?" Somehow the calmness didn't seem to suit her. Sasuke decided it was best to approach her.

"I'm alright." Finally Hinata raised her head to look at her husband and gave a reassuring smile. "Besides we're shinobi and we know the consequences. Death… is inevitable." Then she resumed her task on arranging the table.

Sasuke wasn't immediately convinced. He examined his wife skeptically. Hinata _did_ seem alright. Hinata wasn't good at lying, he didn't fail to notice. However, as he recalled one time when he visited Hyuuga Manor regarding his marriage with Hinata, when his gaze found hers in the garden, when their contrasting eyes met, when he tried to look inside her eyes only to find…

She was unreadable.

Hinata was usually unable to hide her feelings towards others, whether she was troubled or concerned about others, but she could completely hide her own feelings when she was in pain or suffering. So instead of trying to find something within the ivory eyes, he tried to sense it.

He sensed something was wrong. He was getting used to with Hinata and slowly able to understand her though not as much as she understood him. Her eyes that usually shone brightly with warmth were different. The warmth was still there yet there was shadow clouding her eyes, making her eyes seem dim. For ordinary people the slight difference could hardly be noticed. She was emanating sadness with every gesture, every smile, though it could hardly be seen.

He frowned; this wasn't Hinata he knew, the one who spoke against the Hyuuga elder, the one who spoke against him, the one who taught him forgiveness, the one who taught him understanding. Then he realized this was the other side of Hinata he had never seen before. She might be strong, but she was also fragile inside. His gaze softened at the thought; they were not much different, they were wearing different façade, but for the same purpose. He approached his wife who now avoided his scrutinizing gaze.

Meanwhile, Hinata's thoughts weren't exactly on the task at hand. Hinata was thinking of the words she told Sasuke. Somehow, she felt those words were spoken by someone else; she couldn't even recognize her own voice. Those words… were not intended to convince her husband, but more to convince herself. She was a shinobi. Shinobi weren't supposed to show their emotions. She had done her best to save the boy. She had learned that she couldn't save everyone even no matter how hard she tried.

_I won't cry. I will _not_ cry_. She repeated to herself.

An image of Anzo suddenly appeared inside her mind, looking bright and cheerful, a boy who was always honest with his words. He had given her a sunflower once and she accepted the flower with a warm smile, remembering how the boy had blushed.

"I want to see Nee-chan smiling forever," he had said.

_This is all I can do_. Her fists clenched tightly, fighting the urge to cry.

"Hinata." The way he spoke was neither stern nor demanding, but there was something in his voice that made her slowly look up to her husband only to find his dark orbs looking at her calmly. There was no hint of emotion within his eyes, nothing to read within his eyes, making her squirm in uncertainty under his gaze although she didn't remove her gaze.

"…It's alright." Hinata could barely hear his words as she blinked in surprise. "We're shinobi. But we're also human. There are times… when we shed tears for our comrades, for our dearest people… for ourselves." Hinata was speechless, she never expected him to comfort her. She blinked few times to make sure she wasn't hearing things.

"It's alright." Sasuke repeated, as if reading her mind. This time his words were gentle and soothing. Hinata could feel her resolve was faltering, trying hard to hold back her tears but as she looked into Sasuke's eyes, she saw…

Understanding.

He understood, she realized, he understood better than anyone else about the guilt, the sadness, the helplessness… of not being able to do anything even no matter how hard she tried. With those thoughts, she felt her last defenses break. Her body hunched forward, her head was bent low, her bangs covering her face.

Sasuke watched his wife's petite body tremble as she wept silently and there was a flicker of sadness in his eyes. For a moment, he didn't do anything for he wasn't the best when it came to comforting people but he did the only thing he could think of to ease Hinata. He put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her gently towards him. Hinata, who was in terrible need of comfort, in need of someone to rely on, leaned on her husband's broad chest and gripped his shirt tightly. He only stood still, a hand on her small frame, letting Hinata cry even it soaked his shirt wet.

Hinata felt so weak, so ashamed to cry and let her emotions show in front of her husband, but at the same time, never had she felt so warm. Never had she felt so protected and, for once, she felt utterly relieved that she wasn't alone, that now… she had someone to rely on.

* * *

Author's Note: Umm… too sappy? Too mushy? If it is, I'm sorry. I'm getting worried that I'm losing my touch after being used to working on industrial assignments, not much of creativity there, at least not yet. After all, I'm still in my sophomore year, eh, that's how you called first years right? For the next update, well… I'm not really sure, though I hope the wait won't be as long as this chapter. Just keep your fingers crossed, hope the muse comes smoothly. Don't forget to leave reviews, it's always greatly appreciated. I'm ready to accept flames too )


	13. Of Hope

Forgive me for the long delay! Sheesh, I thought first year was hard, second year is even _harder_! The assignments seem to multiply, and the Muse hasn't been kind to me. So yeah, 'nuff said. SHaPbY never forgot to ask of the update but I was always the one who stopped her by saying 'No update yet' before she said anything, effectively getting rid of her fussing XDD But a sudden review appearance after long delay instantly remind me to update. Note: it's very effective to do this. Beforehand, I warn you, my beta is busy so there might be many mistakes. So here it is…

Audriel proudly presents

What Are We?

Of Hope

"Congratulations!"

Along with those words, popping sounds of confetti could be heard from the residence of the newly married couple of rookie nine.

"So how does it feel being a Nara?"

Ino sat in the middle of her close friends, her beautiful blond locks cascading loosely on her shoulders; shades of pink adorned her features and a shy smile on her lips. However the other girls –or women- didn't fail to notice the sparkle in her eyes and how the mind jutsu expert seemed to glow. She looked happy and they felt the same for her.

"How's your wedding night?" Sakura asked teasingly, further reddening her already blushing features.

"Oh, he's _that_ good?" Tenten added coyly. Hinata smiled inwardly, they were really in teasing mood. It was no wonder, Ino was rarely one to be flustered easily _and_ she was usually the one who did the teasing, so the others took this as an opportunity to get it back.

"Just stop that, guys! It's not funny," Ino pouted though there was no hint of anger for being the object of her friends teasing. The girls just laughed it off. Deep down inside, after two of them already getting married they knew they wouldn't be able to spend much time together like this anymore so they decided to cherish the moment they had to the fullest.

"I'm glad," finally Hinata spoke after they regained composure once again, "You seemed very depressed after the engagement. Everything worked out fine, though, didn't it?"

"Yea. Not after I did some drastic measures though. I confronted him just a day before the wedding" Ino told them.

"Really?" the kunoichis were surprised.

"You know… I've always had these… insecurities that I didn't fill in Shika's criteria. Being his friend since childhood, I know he wants to be an average shinobi, married to an average wife, have two children, the eldest a daughter and the youngest a son and grow old together after quitting. I know I'm not his type. So I have reached a conclusion that I was the cause of his change of attitude before the wedding, I thought he regretted the engagement…"

"Oh Ino," most of her friends weren't aware how much of her insecurities were, after all, Ino was the most confident one among them.

"Until that night… The first thing he said to me was whether I _really_ wanted to marry him. I've just realized… that he had also insecurities of his own. And do you know what the first thing in my mind was? I thought it was a big joke. The always _laid back_ and _lazy_ Shikamaru, the best strategist in Konoha, was capable of feeling insecurity? I know I sound rather cruel, I suppose I was fed up. He never said the three simple words, _ever_! So you can understand why I always feel insecure all those times, his attitude wasn't helping.

"But as I looked into his eyes, I knew… that he felt insecure too. I saw fear, anxiety and self-doubt. Somehow I understand… that I wasn't the only one. Then I asked him… if he loved me. I half-expected he would avoid it, like he always did, but instead, he looked me in the eye and said it, he said _those_ words." Ino's eyes turned misty as she recalled the memory; however, it was not sadness that caused it, it was happiness.

"Then all I said was, 'It's more than enough'"

The women were unable to find the right words to say to their friend.

"I know it's not going to be easier after we're married. After all this is the man I fall in love with, the one I chose to spend the rest of my life with, I can't and I don't expect him to change overnight. But as long as there's trust and love between us, it's more than enough," Ino smiled, there was a hint of melancholy in her eyes, yet there was also strength and resolve within it, showing the mature side of Ino they rarely saw.

"Oh, Ino!" They took the initiative to hug their blonde beauty, trying to give their silent support and strength.

"Since when you've grown up?" Sakura commented, wiping her eyes.

"Hey! So you mean I've never acted like one?" Ino looked at Sakura accusingly, and soon the mood was replaced with much more familiar and normal mood, like their old times. Hinata laughed along the others, but only for a moment. Her face turned into a more thoughtful one, Ino's words kept repeating in her mind.

Time flew fast for the four best friends, they used all the time they could have together, not wanting it to last, but eventually they had to end it, Sakura had to check on the hospital and visit Tsunade afterwards, Tenten had a mission, and both Hinata and Ino had additional duty as a wife. Sakura and Tenten left after giving a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek and some words of encouragement to Ino, leaving Hinata as the last to leave.

Hinata didn't make any move to approach Ino or even to leave, instead she remained. Ino tilted her head slightly; she knew that it was better to wait, so she stood still close to the door. Hinata was grateful for Ino's patience; she needed time to collect her thoughts to make the right question without sounding stupid, which was strange because she never had to worry of sounding stupid around her friends. Ino was in the same line of thought herself as she watched the Hyuuga heiress, so she reached a conclusion that whatever Hinata wanted to say was rather serious.

"…Ino," Hinata paused, seeing that she had Ino's full attention, "How do you know that you're in love with Shikamaru?"

Ino frowned a bit, then it hit her like a thousand bricks fallen on top of her. She had forgotten that Hinata was married without love, unlike her and she had spoken about it, forgetting how it might affect her friend. Suddenly she felt guilty for talking about it openly; however, Hinata wouldn't let her. Hinata didn't fail to notice the fleeting look in Ino's eyes, and she knew how incredibly fast Ino was in putting things together when it came to her friends.

"Ino, it's nothing. I just want to know," Hinata smiled reassuringly. The guilt was slowly gone, replaced by understanding.

"Well… I'm not sure how to describe it, because it can be relative for each person…" Ino folded her arm; while her hand absently rubbing her chin, it was Ino's thoughtful pose. Hinata waited patiently, knowing that Ino was trying to provide the best answer for her.

"I can explain it the way romance novels explain it, but it's way too exaggerated. Not that it's not right, but well…" Ino frowned, trying to get the right words, "But I think it's deeper than simply tingly feeling, butterflies in your stomach, his face haunting you in your dreams. It's more than that, how you feel comfortable around him, just being yourself, just knowing that he accepts you they way you are. No need for pretenses, no need for lies. Most of all, how you feel happy around him, even without him really trying, and all of those feelings are sincere. His happiness is your happiness, his pain is your pain, you feel for him, more than anyone else and you would try to do everything to make it right for him. He completes you in a way you can never imagine"

"Everything about him just… seems right." Hinata could see the love shining in the blue depth, and she knew that Ino was describing her own feelings. Then Ino looked at her sheepishly, "I didn't seem to explain anything, did I?"

"Not really," Hinata laughed lightly, easing Ino's worry, "But it's better than nothing." Ino's face softened, a gentle smile on her lips, she gave the smaller woman a firm hug.

"Don't let go of hope, Hinata…" Hinata reveled into the warmth and concern her friend gave her, holding for what it seemed for an eternity because deep down inside she didn't share Ino's optimism.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Meanwhile, Sasuke could be found sitting in the far corner of a bar with an expression that those people who knew him well enough to decipher as bored. He was dragged by his best friend slash rival to join the celebration held for Shikamaru's first day of his married life, because they never had the chance to throw a bachelor party for him before the marriage due to many reasons, Sasuke suspected that Ino's famous temper was one of the reasons. Kiba was the one to initiate and reserve the whole place for the whole day only for the special occasion. It was like ordinary bachelor party with all the free unlimited alcohol, blaring music and chaos, except there was no stripper. All of Konoha shinobi was invited, male only. He could see the old members of rookie nine who graduated together with Shikamaru and team eight's Lee and Neji, the last two was the ones who took his interest, because he knew both didn't have strong reason to come, Lee with his low tolerance for alcohol and Neji with his indifferent attitude. Sasuke could see him sitting across him; his posture mirroring his own.

Sasuke took a sip from his cup of sake; he never had trouble with alcohol. He could drink twice the amount of average people tolerance limit and still be able to fight against hundred men easily. He wasn't the only one though; Lee could do it with his drunken fist style with a bad hangover afterwards and Naruto whose relation with the fox also seemed to heighten his tolerance limit to alcohol without getting hangover –that lucky bastard.

However, both Neji and Lee had a reason to be there, considering how close they were to the lazy genius, especially Neji; their duties required them working together. Sasuke was the only one who had no reason to come, or even to stay. He didn't come for the drinks or the fun like the other jounins –he could see Kakashi, Gai, Genma, Raidou and surprisingly Ibiki, or even for simply Shikamaru, because their relationship was rather strained after his flight from Konoha resulting his –both Sasuke's and Shikamaru's- friends and comrades injured under his command. Not that he blamed him, he wasn't proud of it either; he still carried the guilt as the reminder of it until now.

Sasuke himself wondered why he remained either way, already knowing that he had no reason to, that his presence wasn't exactly welcomed: Shikamaru had never once laid his eyes on him or even acknowledge his presence; Shikamaru practically greeted everyone he knew with a smile on his lips betraying his lazy bored look he always wore, except him. However, he remained, unmoving from his lone spot at the corner. Shikamaru was still a friend, a comrade and it was the only thing he could do for him, because he knew Shikamaru wouldn't accept any apology from him. So he leaned back, filling his empty cup, prepared to stay where he was until it was over.

After what it seemed to be his third fill of sake, Sasuke felt a shift on the couch, indicating someone sat on the other side of the couch. He didn't give any acknowledgement to the person whom he easily recognized from the chakra signature, so instead, he merely poured sake into his empty cup. When he raised the cup to his lips, the person spoke,

"Such a troublesome party"

The laid back statement gave away the speaker's identity and Sasuke who already knew it even before Shikamaru spoke didn't bother to give any sign of acknowledgement, knowing probably any reaction from him wasn't wanted, so Sasuke kept his eyes anywhere but the man next to him and continued sipping his drink slowly. Silence stretched out between them, despite the blaring sound of music in the room.

"You're the last person I expect to be here," Shikamaru surprisingly was the one to break the silence. Sasuke couldn't hold back a smirk; despite the casual tone the lazy genius always wore he could detect the sharpness and seriousness in his words.

"No disagreement there," Sasuke finished his round, not giving a glance toward his fellow shinobi.

"Why are you here?" Sasuke was slightly surprised; Shikamaru was rarely one to push things, it was few things that usually were associated with his newly-wedded wife.

"Getting free drinks," the sharingan wielder answered curtly.

"You're not a drinker, Uchiha. If you were, chances that I would at least once find you in a bar drinking." Always the logical one, Sasuke mused and he didn't miss the slight wariness and hostility in his tone.

"Bar isn't the only place for getting drinks," he replied calmly, filling his cup once again without sparing the shadow user a glance. However, Sasuke was fully aware of his sharp eyes bore into him, eyeing him, judging him, weighing him. He was used to with such kind of scrutiny, Shikamaru wasn't the first, and he doubted he would be the last so he had no difficulty in ignoring it.

"You know it's not what I meant, Sasuke. Stop dancing around. Why are you here? I don't see any reason why you're here," Shikamaru's tone was not accusing nor blaming, he was simply stating the facts and most of all, curious. Sasuke was tempted to explain, but he wasn't sure if it was the right move and he doubted whether any good would come from it, but he got what he wanted, he was acknowledged, and that was more than enough.

"You're right; I don't have any reason to," Sasuke spoke calmly; he drank his cup in one gulp. He stood up and on his way he put the empty cup on the table. He was about to leave when a unexpectedly stern voice stopped him,

"I'm not telling you to leave."

For the first time since their conversation started, Sasuke finally turned and had a good look of Shikamaru. The man was obviously sober, there was no sign of drunkenness and there was no smell of alcohol around him. His eyes was the clearest indication of all, it held the typical sharpness of the brilliant strategist of Konoha whose reputation had been known throughout the entire shinobi world. There were some advantages being his comrade, his fellow Konoha shinobi, one of them was being able to see through the lazy façade and return his gaze impassively, without giving anything away, but then again, he was _the_ Uchiha Sasuke, Shikamaru didn't forget that fact.

They were staring –maybe glaring was the more appropriate word- down on each other, trying to read each other's thoughts, but in the end, Sasuke realized that Shikamaru actually meant it, that he didn't mind of his presence and it was difficult for him not to simply leave and be gone, so instead doing what both of them expected from him, Sasuke broke their gaze first and claimed his seat once again –he didn't fail to notice the obvious surprise in Shikamaru's face. Even though so, Sasuke did nothing more, leaving the initiative of making the decision to Shikamaru whether to keep the silence between them or start a civil conversation.

It would be an understatement or a complete utter lie if Shikamaru said he wasn't surprised and a surprised Shikamaru spoke many things. Being the lead strategist of Konoha force, he was required to be prepared for everything. He was to assess the situation, to analyze every available possibility and to determine the best course of action, in order to do so, he had to know and notice everything. He never failed to do so in the field, but when it came to certain things, including his certain blue-eyed wife and some people, there were times he failed to notice. But then again, he rarely spent time together with the last remaining Uchiha and usually they had company so there was no time for him to really think of Sasuke or to be honest with himself, he never let himself to. He glanced furtively -and warily- towards the quiet man sitting not far from him.

If he were to be objective, Shikamaru thought, this Sasuke was not the same Sasuke whom he tried –his heart clenched painfully at the thought- to save in his first Chuunin mission. It might not be obvious to those who wasn't sharp enough or didn't know the Uchiha well enough to even be able to tell the difference between an annoyed and an amused Uchiha. It was difficult for him to forget the mission, his first mission as a leader and ended a failure, a huge failure that nearly cost his friends, his comrades' life. He was no longer the same Shikamaru anymore afterwards, the Shikamaru who always tried to avoid responsibility and having responsibility. Through that experience, he knew that people could change, either for better or for worse, Sasuke was no exception. He knew that, but knowing and believing was completely two different things. He let out a sigh, his hand found its way to his temple; making circular motion to ease the headache he knew was coming. His brain was utterly overworked, while he was supposed to be relaxing in the party that was intended for him.

Shikamaru once again glanced toward Sasuke whose posture seemed to be relaxed enough, his charcoal eyes registering everything he saw without really giving much thought of it. Or at least tried to, the Nara added to himself, the perks of being shinobi. Whatever reason that made Sasuke come or even stay, he had to at least appreciate it and strangely at the thought, he could hear Ino's voice mixing with his mother's telling him about behaving properly. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes and used it instead to start a civil conversation with Sasuke.

"How's Hinata?" It was the only topic available other than regarding missions and anything related their shinobi life. He knew it wasn't the safest, but he couldn't think for better topic.

"…Fine," Sasuke didn't answer immediately, pretty much taken aback due to the fact that Shikamaru actually initiated a conversation.

Shikamaru was prepared for a one-worded answer so he was about to ask something else when Sasuke elaborated further, to his surprise.

"I was told that she and the others were going to visit Ino today"

"Their own version of celebration, huh?" Shikamaru commented.

"Seems so."

Shikamaru paused, "Hinata told you?" He leaned back intentionally, trying to see the change of expression in the other's face.

"Briefly at breakfast," Sasuke answered easily.

"I see. Does she know you're here?"

"She knows I'm with Naruto." Shikamaru raised an eyebrow in interest, which meant Sasuke didn't come by his own will, most likely he was dragged by Naruto to come, it should occur to him but still, he could've left. The dead last and the prodigy's friendship were few of the things he couldn't fully comprehend.

"So it makes two." Sasuke waited for Shikamaru to elaborate, which he did, "It makes two of us of the nine to get married"

"True"

"It feels strange, now you're not only living but also sharing your life with someone else" suddenly Shikamaru found himself talking of his deepest thoughts regarding his new life, "In a sense, downright scary"

A chuckle was heard in reaction to his statement, coming from the Uchiha heir. Shikamaru turned sharply, only to find it wasn't out of amusement, instead it was out of understanding.

"It is," Sasuke admitted, there was a slight smile on his face as he remembered of his own marriage with Hinata, "but I think you have nothing to be worried about"

"Why is that?"

"You had better reasons than I did"

The two married men looked at each other; one was calm while the other was taken aback, knowing the depth and meaning of the statement.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hinata didn't return immediately after leaving Ino's house, instead she chose to take a stroll around town. She could see the blazing orb in the sky leaning toward the horizon, in few hours it would be setting, giving its turn to the night to come. She knew she should return home soon, to prepare dinner and everything, Sasuke had hinted –he never really said it, she thought in amusement- that he would be home for dinner. Breakfast and dinner had somehow become their routine, their time to really talk, to converse and she had grown to look forward to it, because she always learned something new from her husband, from serious things such as his first killing to simple things such as his dislike to carrots and that his mother used to have minced carrots in his curry so he wouldn't notice which he noticed either way, making curry an exception for food with carrots he could eat. In exchange, she told him about her first failure as medic nin, her embarrassing moments during her genin days, times when she got back at her sister for her pranks -the best was when she made Hanabi confessed her feelings about Konohamaru and the said person overheard it, it was a mystery what really happened next but she suspected that her sister had been seeing him discreetly ever since-.

Hinata could remember clearly his expression when he heard of it. She could see the surprise and amusement in his dark eyes. She was surprised to remember how talkative she was back then. After the comfort he gave to her when she lost Anzo, she felt less the need to be guarded around him. She became more comfortable around him to talk about things she had never shared before and she was relieved that he did the same even not everything, their routine was the result of it. She found out how much Sasuke could be an excellent listener if he wanted to and how attentive he could be, she found out that he remembered every single conversation they had. She also became more familiar of the changes of her husband's emotions. Sasuke was more a man of action than of words. Every gesture, every expression meant more than words could say, but it was his eyes that spoke most. He rarely smiled nevertheless laughed, she often wondered how his laughter sound and if he laughed in his old genin team's presence or in anyone's presence. She felt a pang of sadness and other feeling -that felt suspiciously like envy which disappeared as soon as it appeared- at the thought.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Finally, what it felt like an eternity for Sasuke, who was never used to –and not going to be- with crowds and any kind of celebration, the party was over. He let out a relieved sigh, which didn't fail to be noticed by the man sitting next to him and he could really care less. The party nearly turned into a mess, started by a drunken Kiba or Genma or maybe both who slipped some alcohol into Lee's drink. The oblivious Lee kept drinking it and the result was instantaneous, the green spandex clad jounin began creating havoc, saying things such as flower of youth and many more that ordinary shy and polite Lee wouldn't have spoken out loud. Fortunately, Neji who was already familiar of the signs and among the few who was completely sober reacted quickly and was able to stop further damage by knocking him unconscious with some others' help –Shikamaru and Sasuke lent a hand, metaphorically, of course, without moving an inch from their seat-, other than that, the party resumed pretty much smoothly. Onyx eyes scanned the dispersing crowd and easily spotted the one he was looking for, his spiky blond hair stood out among the rest. He stood up, prepared to leave with his friend.

"Wait," a voice stopped him from reaching Naruto, it was Shikamaru. Sasuke simply raised an eyebrow in question, not really bothering to look at him.

"You owe me an explanation, Uchiha," Shikamaru was once again surprised himself by pushing the question which most likely went unanswered until their dying day, but somehow, in a short time, he found many times his judgment of the last Uchiha was proven to be inaccurate. There was only silence as an answer and Shikamaru thought he'd pushed his luck too far.

"Sasuke!" a familiar loud voice called, "Still sober to go home?" The cheerful and obviously sober face of Uzumaki Naruto appeared next to his best friend.

"Hn," Sasuke simply nodded, returning to his infamous one-worded grunt. Naruto noticed that Sasuke had company in his seclusion,

"Hey, Shikamaru. Nice party, just make sure you won't get any trouble at home later," Naruto gave his signature grin.

"Don't remind me… So troublesome," Shikamaru rolled his eyes; Naruto didn't hold back his laughter. The lazy jounin stood up and craned his neck a little, a result after sitting for so long.

"That's my Shikamaru; glad married life ain't changing any of you," the blond Uzumaki spoke of his two married friends.

"Let's go," Sasuke urged him; he had promised to be home for dinner.

"Ooh, someone's eager for dinner," Naruto gave him a knowing grin, and sometimes in times like these, he really wanted to give his friend a good smack in the head.

"Bye Shikamaru!" Shikamaru merely nodded with his usual bored look, when he started to walk to the direction of exit, he thought he heard a familiar voice spoke in quiet whisper,

"Because it's the least I can do"

Shikamaru raised his head sharply, looking for the source of the voice that suspiciously sounded like coming from the exit and found a figure with familiar red white fan emblazoned on his back.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hinata was walking down to the Manor with a brown paper bag filled with groceries in her hands; she decided to make something else for dinner.

"Hinata!" a voice she easily recognized calling her name. Hinata turned slightly to see the boy-turned-man who inspired her in her difficult years waving his hand energetically with his silent companion whose appearance brought a smile to her face. She waited until they approached her.

"Where did you go today?" she asked politely –Hinata was always polite, Naruto noted-.

"Shikamaru's celebration party for his new life," Naruto snickered, Hinata merely giggled.

"Hopefully you had a good time," the Hyuuga heir didn't fail to notice the slight scent of smoke and alcohol but she knew it didn't come from them for she knew none of them smoke and both looked completely alert and sober, but maybe it was because of their high tolerance to alcohol. She tilted her had in amusement.

"I did, but dunno this guy," Naruto gestured to his best friend. Sasuke's face remained impassive, completely ignoring the blonde's remark.

"It's already late; do you want to join us for dinner, Naruto-kun?" Although she wanted to have dinner together with her husband, she wanted to Naruto to join them. She was aware he spent most of his dinners alone and the thought of it saddened her.

"Nah, don't wanna be a bother, especially I know how rare you two have dinner together," Naruto shrugged, putting his hands behind his head. He was touched by Hinata's thoughtfulness but heck; he was not that insensitive to be a third person in the household, even only for dinner.

"You're never a bother," surprisingly it was Sasuke who spoke. His words pretty much made Naruto speechless, but slowly a genuine smile appeared on the whiskered face, knowing the double meaning of his words.

"Thanks, but I think I'll pass this time. I'll find a way to make Sakura eat with me," Naruto had mischievous look in his face, "Ja!"

The two watched their friend went to what it seemed the direction of Hokage tower where Sakura was supposed to be. Hinata blinked few times, "I wonder what he's up to…"

"You'll know sooner or later." Hinata could sense a hint of amusement in his voice and knew the meaning of his words, they would hear from either Sakura or Naruto later. Without a word, they turned and resumed walking towards Uchiha complex side by side, their steps echoing one another, Hinata noted and the silence was comfortable, like always. Halfway to their house, Sasuke initiated a conversation,

"Did we run out of supply?" Short and succinct, the distinct way of Sasuke speaking and if one were not used to it, they would have difficulty in understanding it.

"No. I just have better idea what to have for dinner," Hinata told him, Sasuke titled his head slightly, his eyes met hers, asking her to elaborate. Hinata smiled a bit sheepishly whether it was best to tell him now or later, but then again it didn't really matter anyway,

"Curry"

There was silence and frozen look in her husband's face that made Hinata squirmed uneasily if it was a bad idea, she was about to stutter an apology when she heard an amused chuckle.

"With minced carrots?"

Hinata was stunned speechless, Sasuke was smiling, a small smile, but a smile that reached his eyes and seemed to be gleaming with amusement. The only sight she had ever seen once in the old dusty photo album of the Uchihas. She felt her heart skipped a beat, warmth filling her and she felt how contagious his smile was.

"Hmm," Hinata smiled warmly, "With minced carrots"

_Maybe… Maybe, there's hope after all_…

* * *

Author's Note: Done! Finally! It's funny that I finished this fic near the end of my semester holiday. Dang, it'll be a long time for me to update… Hopefully not. And I reaaaally hope I haven't lost my touch. The idea of carrots came from Whistle! which one character hates carrots so much and one of the tricks used to make him eat it was by mincing it into the curry sauce. So, whaddaya think? Your reviews are greatly appreciated! And I need beta reader! 


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